The European Union will continue to stand with Cyprus amid the instability caused by the developments in the Middle East, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after her meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday.

“Europe expresses its full solidarity with Cyprus, amidst the instability caused by the crisis in the Middle East. Together, we continue to participate in de-escalation, continuing our work with regional partners,” she said.

Von der Leyen added that the European Council would proceed with a discussion on how to mitigate the impacts of the war on the European economy and energy sector.

“Together, we continue engaging on de-escalation, continuing our work with regional partners,” she said

The discussion will focus on how the Commission intends to address the increase in energy prices through interventions in the structure of the EU energy market. “I will work closely with you and the Cyprus Presidency on this,” she said.

President Nikos Christodoulides had met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and von der Leyen on Wednesday to discuss the Middle East crisis, the foot and mouth disease outbreak on the island and the way forward in the Cyprus problem.

Christodoulides had travelled to the Belgian capital to attend the European Council and met with Guterres in the afternoon

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said that the president himself had taken the initiative to arrange the meeting.