Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos referred to the role that Cyprus has played in repatriating hundreds of foreign citizens, including EU citizens, through its ESTIA scheme, during the discussion held by the Foreign Ministers of the EU in Monday’s Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Kombos also met with Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi. The discussion focused on areas of common interest including the Cyprus problem, EU – Turkey relations, migration and the situation in the Middle East, Kombos wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
In his own post, Varhelyi said that he and Kombos discussed “the outlook for EU-Türkiye relations, joint efforts to help Lebanon’s socio-economic stability” and “our engagement to address the situation in Israel and Gaza”.
According to a press release by the foreign ministry, during the FAC’s discussion on the Middle East, Kombos referred to the activation of the ESTIA national scheme, and underlined Cyprus’ role as a pillar of stability in the region, stressing that the services of the Republic of Cyprus “are fully prepared for any assistance requested”.
Kombos also condemned Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel and referred to “Israel’s right to defend itself with full respect to international humanitarian law”.
He also stressed the need ”for the immediate release of all abductees and the provision of humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip”.
The foreign minister stressed in particular the importance of supporting collective efforts to prevent further escalation, as such an escalation would have a wider impact on the region. He also noted that the EU must not lose focus of the objective of a gradual revival of the political process for a two-state solution in the Middle East.
During the discussion on Ukraine, the Cypriot foreign ministry statement said, the FAC members exchanged views on current developments with an emphasis on the EU’s security commitments to the country.
Kombos stressed that the country supports the enlargement of the European Union as well as substantial prosecutions for the crime of aggression against an independent state.
The 19th EU-Central Asia Ministerial Meeting with Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan was held after the conclusion of the FAC.
Kombos conveyed Cyprus’ support for the promotion of EU-Central Asia cooperation, which “is based on the principles of transparency, mutual trust and full respect of international law by all states”.
He reaffirmed that the Republic of Cyprus is committed to strengthening political, diplomatic, economic and cultural ties with all five Central Asian states, expressing readiness for further practical cooperation in mutually beneficial areas, in a bilateral and multilateral context, as well as in particular in the framework of the European Union’s institutional relationship with the Central Asian countries.
In the margins of the ministerial meeting, Kombos also had a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov, with whom they exchanged views on issues of mutual interest with a view to strengthening relations between Cyprus and Turkmenistan both at bilateral and multilateral level.