While Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides was speaking yesterday at the European Council about the crisis in the Middle East, he received a message on his mobile phone about an alert at the British Bases in Akrotiri, giving him the opportunity to explain to the 26 EU leaders how directly the regional escalation in the Middle East affects Cyprus.
Any military strike against Cyprus is an attack on Europe, French President Emmanuel Macron has warned, projecting a unified defence front to shield the war-divided island as the military buildup rekindles historic tensions between NATO rivals Greece and Turkey.
- At the "Andreas Papandreou" military base in Paphos, the trilateral meeting of Mitsotakis, Macron and Christodoulides.
- Joint statements by the three leaders are expected.
- Shortly after 12:30, Kyriakos Mitsotakis landed, a little later the arrival of Macron.
- The visit sends the message of the European "shield" that is being raised in Cyprus.
Before the meeting began, the three leaders took joint photos.
It should be noted, however, that Emmanuel Macron took off the tie he was wearing upon his arrival, following the example of Messrs. Mitsotakis and Christodoulides.
What the Elysee Palace says
The discussion includes the issue of strengthening regional security amid the war in Iran and the surge in oil prices.
According to the French presidency, the visit aims to “express France’s solidarity” with Cyprus, where a British military base was targeted by a drone shortly after the start of the US-Israeli attack on Iran on February 28.
The French president spoke this morning with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the situation in the Middle East and Lebanon.