Former European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas said that Cyprus should now join Nato, after the island found itself targeted by Iranian-made drones amid a widening regional conflict.

“I would like to propose a next step which would significantly enhance the prospect of stability in southern Europe. I think that this is perhaps the best possible link that Cyprus would ever have, to request, officially and urgently, the accession of the Republic of Cyprus to Nato,” he said, before adding, “this is the moment”.

He said that Cyprus is “the only non-Nato member on the frontlines of this geopolitical turmoil”.

“Turkey is a Nato member. Greece is a Nato member. But Cyprus is not. Therefore, in addition to the European offer of defence, security, solidarity, and stability to [Cyprus], I think that this moment is an excellent political opportunity for [Cyprus] to seek Nato membership,” he said.

To this end, he added that “frankly, I do not see who could object to this move”.

“This would be a fantastic opportunity to bring Nato half an hour away from Beirut, to bring Nato to the forefront of the geopolitical divide,” he said, before adding that Cyprus’ joining of Nato could also provide “a fantastic opportunity which would enhance the chances of resolving the Cyprus problem,” he said.

President Nikos Christodoulides had said last December that joining Nato “would be a natural development” for Cyprus.

“If it were possible for Cyprus to apply tomorrow and receive a positive response from all member states, we would do so”, he said, though he did acknowledge that with the Cyprus problem remaining unresolved, Turkey would veto a Cypriot application to join Nato at present.

“For this reason, we are working methodically to strengthen our military to bring it up to the level of other Nato members, while we wait for the political conditions to be met for us to join the organisation,” he said.

He added that Cyprus “already has a clearly defined foreign policy, with a strong orientation towards the west”.

The question of whether Cyprus may join Nato was raised in 2024 after Christodoulides met then United States President Joe Biden at the White House, with Greek newspaper Kathimerini at the time reporting that Christodoulides had presented a plan for Cyprus’ future accession to Nato at that meeting.

After his visit to the White House, Christodoulides said that Cyprus is getting ready to join Nato if and when Turkey withdraws its objections.

Later, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos that public debate over whether Cyprus should join Nato is “premature”, adding that the government is “working to increase our compatibility with Nato member states, and Nato members include Greece and France – countries with which there is a traditional cooperation”.