NICOSIA: EU leaders vowed to boost security and economic ties with Middle East partners and push for a diplomatic end to the Iran war, after talks in Cyprus focusing on the fallout from the conflict.
Leaders from Lebanon, Egypt, Syria and Jordan as well as the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, were in Nicosia to meet their European Union counterparts on the sidelines of an EU summit.
“The current situation clearly underscores how closely Europe’s security is linked with that of the Middle East, and how vital our cooperation on security and defense has become,” European Council president Antonio Costa told a press conference after the talks.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, left, and Syrian President Ahmad Al-Sharaa join a press conference after the EU Summit in Nicosia, Cyprus, Friday. (AP)
US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Tehran’s retaliation, including the direct targeting of US allies in the Gulf, have rattled the global economy, with the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz sending oil prices soaring and crimping supply of jet fuel in Europe.
“The Strait of Hormuz must immediately reopen without restrictions and without tolling, in full respect of international law and the principle of freedom of navigation. This is vital for the entire world,” Costa said.
“Diplomacy is the only sustainable way forward, and European Union is ready to contribute to all ongoing efforts,” he added.
France's President Emmanuel Macron, left, meets with Lebanon's President Joseph Aoun in Nicosia, Cyprus on Friday, on the sidelines of a European summit.(AP)
The meeting came after Trump indefinitely extended the ceasefire with Iran this week, but push for fresh peace talks in Pakistan has stalled in recent days.
An extension of a shaky truce between Israel and Lebanon has also been agreed on — but European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said that was “not enough,” calling for a permanent settlement.
“You cannot have stability in the Middle East or the Gulf while Lebanon is in flames,” she said. “A temporary pause is not enough.”
The EU has largely remained on the sidelines in the Middle East war despite US President Donald Trump lashing out at what he says is Europe’s lack of support for Washington’s efforts to contain Iran.
French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters that “Europe must do even more” to help end the crisis.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun speaks with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi on the day of a summit of the European Union and regional partners' leaders in Nicosia on Friday. (Reuters)
“It is in everyone’s interest for stability to return as soon as possible and for the world’s economies to be reassured,” Macron said, in stark contrast to Trump who said the United States had “all the time in the World.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said works was under way to boost economic, trade and political ties with Jordan, Egypt, Syria, and Gulf nations and proposed the partnership broadens to defense matters.
“We could consider expanding the scope of missions like Operation Aspides evolving from mere protection to a sophisticated joint maritime coordination,” she said without providing further details.
Aspides is the EU’s naval mission in the Red Sea, launched in 2024 to prevent attacks on trade vessels by Iran-backed Houthi rebel forces.
“The threat of mass proliferation of drones and missiles is sadly a shared reality. We should set up a structural cooperation of scaling up defense production,” von der Leyen added.
