Qatar joins ministerial meeting on maritime corridor initiative to deliver Gaza aid

The State of Qatar participated in the virtual ministerial meeting on the initiative of the Maritime Corridor to Deliver Humanitarian Assistance to Gaza.
HE Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi represented the State of Qatar at the meeting.
The meeting, hosted by the Republic of Cyprus Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Constantinos Kombos, was attended by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the UK Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Cameron, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the European Union Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic, and the UN Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza Sigrid Kaag.
During the meeting, they discussed the urgent needs for delivering humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, along with the contributions of the countries involved in the initiative and strategies to address logistical challenges.
A joint statement issued by the governments of the participating countries affirmed the ministers' agreement that there is no substitute to land routes via Egypt and Jordan and other crossings to Gaza for the widespread delivery of aid, describing that the opening of the Ashdod Port to humanitarian aid as a welcomed and important complement to the maritime corridor.
The ministers committed to continuing discussions on this matter, with senior officials scheduled to visit Cyprus next week to receive detailed briefings on the continued activation of the corridor, including consultations on the possibility of establishing a joint fund to support the maritime corridor and coordinating material and financial contributions to ensure its sustainability.
The ministers reiterated that this maritime corridor should be part of ongoing efforts to increase the flow of humanitarian aid and commercial goods to Gaza through all possible means, including expanded land routes and continuous airlift operations, through close collaboration with Coordinator Sigrid Kaag, tasked with facilitating, coordinating, monitoring, and verifying the flow of aid to Gaza under UN Security Council Resolution 2,720.
The ministers emphasized the necessity for Israel to open additional crossings to allow more aid into Gaza, including in the northern part of the Strip, and to ease comprehensive customs restrictions to facilitate the increasing flow of life-saving humanitarian aid.