Nicosia, Cyprus. Cypriot MEP Costas Mavrides welcomed visits by French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and urged the European Union to do more for Cyprus’ security after the island was struck by an Iranian-made drone last week.
Mavrides welcomes leaders’ visit and calls for Euro-Mediterranean defence
Speaking late on Monday night in the European Parliament plenary session, Mavrides, of Diko, said, “History was made in Cyprus today. Three leaders of European Union states … on the occasion of the war in Iran, to which Cyprus is not a party, sent a message through President Macron: When Cyprus is attacked, all of Europe is attacked.”
He said “the most important thing is the construction of a Euro-Mediterranean defence within the framework of European defence against any aggressor,” adding “of course, against Turkish expansionism with the occupation of European Union territory in Cyprus”.
Criticism of EU institutions’ absence
Mavrides said that “as strong as the practical support from various European Union states was, the absence of the European Union’s institutions was equally resounding”.
He asked, “Where are Ms Kallas and Ms von der Leyen?”, referring to the European Union’s foreign affairs chief and the European Commission president, and said “their obstructionism and absence were recorded as a shame in the history of Europe”.
He also asked, “Do they prefer cooperation with [Turkish President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, the patron of Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Syrian jihadist who wore a suit?”, in a likely reference to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Mavrides said Kallas and von der Leyen “have failed”, adding that “we are moving forward step by step towards the Europe we deserve”.
German MEP warns of escalation and regional impact
During the same debate, German MEP Ozlem Demirel of Die Linke said “once again, the United States and Israel are violating international law by attacking another country”, and warned of potential impacts on the wider region, including Cyprus.
“The air war is increasingly targeting civilian infrastructure – schools, hospital, everything, and Iran is firing back. Meanwhile, more and more military forces are amassing around Iran. Fighter jets are being deployed to Cyprus, and warships from several European countries are being sent to the region,” she said.
Demirel said “this war must be ended immediately”, adding, “we cannot continue to stand by while Israel attacks more and more countries in the Middle East”.
What do you think the European Union should do next to address Cyprus’ security concerns?