President Nikos Christodoulides said on Sunday that Iran “has asked us to convey a message to Israel”, and that “we will do so”, amid an escalating conflict between the two countries which saw missile strikes which were visible to the naked eye across Cyprus overnight.

Speaking to journalists, he said he will hold a telephone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later on Sunday and pointed out that Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos has requested that the European Union’s foreign affairs council convene in light of the ongoing developments.

“The telephone communications will continue. Let me remind you that we were asked by Iran to convey some messages to Israel, so, today, I will speak with [Netanyahu]. That was scheduled for last night, but due to the chaotic situation, it could not happen,” he said.

He added that he is also due to speak with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen later in the day.

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“Our goal is to end this situation, which does not lead to any result, and does not lead to the resolution of any differences,” he said.

 In addition, he said he had asked European Council President Antonio Costa to “address the issue” at the forthcoming G7 summit, which is set to take place in Canada’s Alberta province, while also criticising the European Union’s response so far.

“I want to say it publicly. I also expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that the EU was slow to react. We saw a joint statement which came out yesterday after the phone call with [Costa], there were one or two states which disagreed with the wording,” he said.

“It is not possible for the EU to claim a geopolitical role, to see all these developments and not to have at the least, at the absolute minimum, a convening of its council of foreign ministers. So, we have requested this from the EU … and I believe that one will be held.”

Then asked whether he is exerting pressure on countries such as the United Kingdom with the aim of persuading them not to get involved in the conflict, he said that “it is not a matter of exerting pressure or inciting anyone”.

“We have a role in the region. What characterises the Republic of Cyprus? The Republic of Cyprus is characterised by the fact that it speaks to all the countries in the region. We have been asked to convey a message. We will do so. This is why the telephone conversation with [Netanyahu] will take place,” he said.

He then touched on the matter of the British bases in Cyprus and reiterated the words of the UK’s permanent representative at the United Nations Barbara Woodward on Saturday.

“As far as the British bases are concerned, the British have publicly stated more than once that the British bases have not been used,” he said, before returning to his own role and that of his government in developments.

“The role of the Republic of Cyprus in the region, I want to reiterate, as well as our characteristic, is that we will talk to everyone and to the best of our ability … we try to convey messages, to create the conditions so that this difficult state of affairs can be ended,” he said.