President Nikos Christodoulides on Friday said that now is the time” for the European Union to strengthen its ties with countries in the Middle East as he looked ahead to next week’s European Council summit in Cyprus.

He highlighted that during the two-day summit, leaders of the EU’s 27 member states will hold an expanded meeting with leaders of other countries in the region.

This, he said, “sends a clear message”.

“The Middle East and [the] Gulf is Europe’s neighbourhood. Our security is inextricably linked. Partners stand by each other at the most challenging of times. Now is the time to take decisive steps to elevate further, across the board, EU relations with the Middle East and the Gulf,” he said.

As well as the planned expanded meeting, he said EU leaders will discuss “how we can contribute [to] de-escalation in the wider Middle East and [to] freedom of navigation”, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz.

He added that the matter of “how we tackle the effects” of the Middle East conflict “on the lives of our citizens, particularly on energy prices” will also be discussed next week.

Additionally, he said that EU leaders will discuss the bloc’s multiannual financial framework – the EU’s budget for the period covering the years between 2028 and 2034 – during the course of the two-day summit.

“We are an ambitious union, and our new multiannual financial framework must reflect that ambition. We will provide political guidance on how we fulfil that ambition,” he said.

He added that he is “proud” that Cyprus is currently the holder of the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency.

Invites to the summit had been sent by European Council President Antonio Costa to the leaders of the EU’s 27 member states earlier this week, with Costa saying that the summit will also be attended by “key regional partners”.