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Military-civil exercise on evacuation from Middle East gets under way

Xinhua, May 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

Cypriot military and civil authorities started a two-day international exercise on Monday based on a scenario that a major crisis in the Middle East makes necessary a mass evacuation of third country nationals to the eastern Mediterranean island.

State agencies of Greece, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Israel, Italy and Hungary are taking part in the drill alongside the Cypriot National Guard, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center, the Civil Defence and the Cypriot Police.

The "Argonaut 2016" exercise involves the transfer of civilians from neighbouring countries and search and rescue operations in the eastern Mediterranean.

The Ministry of Defence said the exercise is divided in three stages and will take place within the territorial, maritime and aerial area of southern Cyprus, within the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Cyprus and Nicosia Flight Information Region.

The Ministry said it is the largest international exercise of its kind ever held in Cyprus.

Cyprus had been home to thousands of Lebanese who fled the civil war in their country in 1975 and later. It has also hundreds of foreign nationals fleeing conflict points in the region in several cases. Endit