Avoiding the spread of the crisis in Middle East and especially in Lebanon and the full support of Cyprus in the intensive diplomatic efforts of the USA and France was underlined by the Cypriot Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

As the relevant announcement points out, he emphasized that any inflammatory statements aimed at further escalation and destabilization in the region are reprehensible and that Cyprus has not been and will not be part of the crisis. He also pointed out that Cyprus supports the implementation of the American President’s plan and in particular Resolution 2735 of the United Nations Security Council, calling on all parties to work to create conditions that will lead to the start of a peace process.

During the discussion about Ukraine, Constantinos Kombos expressed the solidarity of Cyprus in Kyiv underlining that the EU should take all the necessary decisions so that the EU’s support continues for as long as needed in a robust and predictable manner. At the same time, he welcomed the approval of the 14th sanctions package by the Council, underlining that the framework for dealing with sanctions circumvention should be significantly strengthened.

In relation to the Western Balkans, the Cypriot foreign minister expressed Cyprus’ firm commitment and support to the accession path of the Western Balkans partners and encouraged their full alignment with the objectives and decisions of the EU in the framework of the Common Foreign Policy and EU Security Policy.