CIPAR reacted with disbelief on Thursday to warnings from Lebanon’s Hezbollah that the island could be drawn into a conflict if tensions with Israel escalate into a full-scale war.
Cyprus, the EU member state closest to the Middle East, was taken aback by comments made by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday, suggesting that the island could be targeted if it allows Israel to use military facilities in Cyprus in the event of an attack on Lebanon. “The Republic of Cyprus is in no way involved in the war conflict,” responded Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, describing Nasrallah’s comments as “unpleasant.”
An EU spokesperson also addressed the threat, stating that “any threats to an EU member state are threats to the European Union.” The Lebanese government appears to be trying to contain the possible fallout from Nasrallah’s comments.
Interim Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati contacted Christodoulides on Thursday to thank him for his measured diplomatic response, calling Christodoulides “a dear friend,” according to a Cypriot source.
“The threat of using violence is a gross violation of the UN Charter”
Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib also spoke with his Cypriot counterpart Constantinos Kombos to emphasize Lebanon’s “continued reliance” on the role Cyprus has played in regional stability, according to a statement from his office.
A Lebanese diplomatic source told Reuters that the two spoke “to clarify things,” but did not elaborate on how Lebanese officials specifically addressed Nasrallah’s threats.
Officials in Nicosia have made it clear that they do not wish to discuss this matter further. Greece, a NATO member and key ally, said that Cyprus and its people have its unwavering support. “The threat of using violence is a gross violation of the UN Charter,” it stated on the platform X.
Cyprus has always considered itself above Middle Eastern politics
Cyprus has always considered itself above Middle Eastern politics and has offered refuge to tens of thousands of Lebanese fleeing civil war in the 1970s and 80s. It has lobbied its EU partners to offer financial aid to Lebanon and recently established a maritime corridor to send humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza who are facing starvation.
However, this also comes in the context of improved Cyprus-Israel relations and increased engagement of British sovereign bases on the island in military operations in Syria and recently in Yemen. It is also known that Israeli air forces conduct exercises in Cypriot airspace, and in recent years the two countries have conducted joint military exercises.
CIPAR je u četvrtak s nevjericom reagirao na upozorenja libanonskog Hezbolaha da bi otok mogao biti uvučen u sukob ako napetosti s Izraelom prerastu u pravi rat.
Cipar, država članica EU-a najbliža Bliskom istoku, bila je zatečena komentarima šefa Hezbolaha Sayyeda Hassana Nasrallaha u srijedu da bi otok mogao biti meta ako dopusti Izraelu da koristi vojne objekte na Cipru u slučaju napada na Libanon. “Republika Cipar ni na koji način nije uključena u ratni sukob”, odgovorio je ciparski predsjednik Nikos Christodoulides, opisujući Nasrallahove komentare kao “neugodne”.
Glasnogovornik EU-a također se izjasnio o prijetnji rekavši da su “svake prijetnje državi članici prijetnje Europskoj uniji”. Čini se da libanonska vlada pokušava obuzdati moguće posljedice Nasrallahovih komentara.
Privremeni libanonski premijer Najib Mikati kontaktirao je Christodoulidesa u četvrtak kako bi mu zahvalio na njegovom odmjerenom diplomatskom odgovoru, nazivajući Christodoulidesa “dragim prijateljem”, rekao je ciparski izvor.
“Prijetnja korištenjem nasilja je grubo kršenje Povelje UN-a”
Ministar vanjskih poslova Abdallah Bou Habib također je razgovarao sa svojim ciparskim kolegom Constantinosom Kombosom kako bi istaknuo “kontinuirano oslanjanje” Libanona na ulogu koju je Cipar odigrao u regionalnoj stabilnosti, navodi se u priopćenju njegovog ureda.
Libanonski diplomatski izvor rekao je Reutersu da su njih dvojica razgovarali “kako bi razjasnili stvari”, ali nisu elaborirali kako su se libanonski dužnosnici konkretno pozabavili Nasrallahovim prijetnjama.
Dužnosnici u Nikoziji jasno su dali do znanja da ne žele dalje raspravljati o ovom pitanju. Grčka, članica NATO-a i ključni saveznik, rekla je da Cipar i njegov narod imaju njegovu nepokolebljivu potporu. “Prijetnja korištenjem nasilja je grubo kršenje Povelje UN-a”, objavila je na platformi X.
Cipar se uvijek smatrao iznad bliskoistočne politike
Cipar se uvijek smatrao iznad bliskoistočne politike i nudio je utočište desecima tisuća Libanonaca koji su bježali od građanskog rata 1970-ih i 80-ih. Lobirao je svoje partnere u EU-u da Libanonu ponude financijsku pomoć, a nedavno je uspostavila i pomorski koridor za slanje humanitarne pomoći Palestincima u Gazi kojima prijeti glad.
No, to se također događa u kontekstu poboljšanih veza Cipra s Izraelom i vidljivijeg angažmana britanskih suverenih baza na otoku u vojnim operacijama u Siriji i odnedavno u Jemenu. Poznato je i da izraelske zračne snage provode vježbe u zračnom prostoru Cipra, a posljednjih su godina dvije zemlje provele zajedničke vojne vježbe.