Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos hopes that over the next few days there will be announcements for humanitarian aid to be sent to Gaza through Cyprus’ Amalthea plan and that 1,200 tonnes were already ready to be shipped out.

Kombos said on Friday that discussions on Gaza aid had been put on hold due to fighting in the region and that Cyprus stood ready to cooperate with the UN and other organisations.

“We believe this is an opportunity for the EU as well regarding the availability of a complementary corridor to Gaza,” he said.

Kombos was speaking after a meeting in Nicosia with Austrian Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger. Both agreed that the humanitarian situation in Gaza was unacceptable, that dialogue was imperative for a truce and political solution and that the EU should become more involved.

“We agree on the need for an immediate ceasefire, for the release of hostages and the exclusion of Hamas from the political future of Gaza,” Kombos said.

Referring to the warfare between Israel and Iran, Kombos and Meinl-Reisinger expressed hope that the ceasefire would hold. The role the EU could play here as well was highlighted.

Meinl-Reisinger added that the EU should play a “constructive and practical role” in getting humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Kombos once again condemned the terrorist attack on the Greek Orthodox church in Damascus and called on the authorities to bring those responsible to justice and protect the country’s Christians.

Regarding Cyprus serving as a safe port for evacuations and repatriations, Kombos said over 3,000 people were brought out of the warzone via Cyprus, including 53 Cypriots. Kombos thanked Austria and Slovakia for their help in this effort.

Meinl-Reisinger said diplomacy was the key to a solution in the Middle East and that Cyprus had facilitated the repatriation of 100 Austrians from Iran and 300 from Israel via Larnaca.

The two ministers also agreed that Cyprus-Austrian bilateral relations were excellent and could be further improved in various sectors, such as trade, tourism, investments, culture, migration and defence.

Kombos referred to Cyprus’ priorities during its EU rotating presidency in the first half of 2026, especially that the country could act as a bridge between the EU and the Middle East, which would be particularly useful in crisis management and prevention, migration and connectivity.

Regarding migration in particular, Kombos said there had been no increase in migrants travelling to Cyprus amid the crisis in the Middle East.

Meinl-Reisinger said Austria appreciated the fact that Cyprus would be focusing on its region while holding the EU presidency.

“We always see the impact on civilisations and of course we see the financial opportunities here and sometimes it is good to expand our views and not only examine what is going on within the EU, but also what is going on around it,” she said.

She added that “you cannot stay in Brussels only, but you must speak with as many as you can to find a solution.”

Kombos furthermore briefed his Austrian counterpart on the Cyprus problem, for which Meinl-Reisinger said her country supported a unified Cyprus.

“There cannot be ideas for a solution of two states here,” she said.

Meinl-Reisinger said that over the years 17,000 Austrian soldiers had served in Unficyp and 16 had died on the island.