Cyprus’ objection in discussions among European Union foreign ministers regarding a review of the bloc’s pact which governs its political and economic ties with Israel was “in terms of the procedure”, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said on Wednesday.
Reports which surfaced after Tuesday’s meeting of the EU’s 27 foreign ministers and the bloc’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas had indicated that Kombos was one of nine to object to the review, though he rejected the idea.
“Yesterday, there was no question of a decision being taken by member states. On the contrary, the only competence which exists, which is of an exclusive nature, concerns [Kallas], who ultimately took a decision, after first hearing the opinions and the views of the member states,” he said.
On Cyprus’ objections during those discussions, he said it had been raised “in terms of the procedure and the benefit which would arise from yesterday’s decision, given that at this particular time, we will take into account that any report which emerges will not be from EU personnel who are on the ground”.
He added that the reports received to inform the European Commission’s eventual decision at the end of the review “will have to pass through the college of commissioners and be adopted unanimously”, with all 27 commissioners, including Cypriot Costas Kadis and President Ursula von der Leyen required to vote in favour.
Kombos said he “wonders what it will mean for the EU if it does not pass unanimously through the commission”.
“I believe that at this stage, it does not serve the purpose for which the discussion was held,” he added, before outlining his position on the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
“Cyprus’ position is that we consider what is happening in terms of the humanitarian situation in Gaza to be tragic and unacceptable … There must be a change in Israel’s attitude and a large flow of aid on a large scale [into Gaza],” he said.
He then turned his attention back to Tuesday’s meeting and said that there was “a group of states which expressed perhaps strong concerns about whether there could be a change in the process, in the proposal”.
“It was a sincere discussion, which is however interpreted by some as a stance against the Palestinian people,” he said, before pointing out President Nikos Christodoulides’ recent trip to Ramallah as what he sees as evidence to the contrary.
On the potential termination of ties between the EU and Israel, he said that at the most recent meeting of the EU-Israel association council in February, EU foreign ministers had the chance to have “a frank discussion, a discussion in which some issues were raised in a fruitful dialogue” with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar.
He added that “if this option were removed, what other means of leverage does the European Union have?”
Additionally, he said that in the last 48 hours, there has been “some interest” in the possible reactivation of Cyprus’ Amalthea humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza.
On this matter, he said that “some contacts have been made”, but that “the Cypriot side wants to see a specific plan on the way in which the situation in Gaza will work and how Israel will approach the aid shipment”.
Kallas had announced on Tuesday that the EU would review its ties with Israel, with international pressure having mounted on Israel in recent days amid complaints about the lack of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza, and in light of a new military offensive having been launched in the strip.
She had said a “strong majority” of the EU’s 27 foreign ministers had favoured such a review, which was proposed by Dutch Foreign Minister Caspar Veldkamp.
“The situation in Gaza is catastrophic. The aid that Israel has allowed in is of course welcomed, but it’s a drop in the ocean. Aid must flow immediately, without obstruction and at scale, because this is what is needed,” Kallas said after the meeting.
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