All articles tagged with #cyprus
A Rolling Stone preview spotlights Denmark, Italy, Cyprus, and Lithuania as early frontrunners for Eurovision 2026, highlighting Denmark’s Før Vi Går Hjem, Italy’s Per Sempre Sì, Cyprus’ Jalla, and Lithuania’s Sólo Quiero Más as standout entries among 25 finalists, with Belgium’s Essyla also in contention for the win in Vienna.
EU leaders in Cyprus are pushing to clarify Article 42.7 to define when and how member states assist each other after an attack, aiming to strengthen protection without clashing with NATO. The discussion covers what ‘aid and assistance’ can entail (diplomatic, technical, medical, civilian or military) and who triggers the clause, with Cyprus urging more precise rules and other frontline members urging caution to preserve NATO’s primacy. Leaders, including Ursula von der Leyen and Donald Tusk, stress that any EU role would depend on member-state decisions and should not undermine existing NATO obligations.
At the Cyprus summit, 29 leaders wrestled with boosting Europe’s strategic autonomy amid U.S. policy uncertainty, discussing how to operationalize Article 42.7 without undermining NATO, while pushing for a more ambitious seven-year budget and a stronger EU role in the Middle East amid energy and inflation pressures, all under the palpable influence of Donald Trump and the ongoing Iran/Middle East conflict.
EU leaders are weighing how Article 42.7, the bloc’s mutual‑defense clause, would function in a crisis and are planning May tabletop exercises to test scenarios while avoiding a clash with NATO; Cyprus is hosting discussions, and officials warn that clarifying the clause could affect U.S. commitment under Trump, even as they stress that NATO’s Article 5 remains the core security guarantee.
Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides urged EU leaders to develop a concrete playbook for aiding any member state under attack, pressing to give substance to Article 42.7 of the EU treaties as the bloc prepares for upcoming talks and a major EU-Middle East summit.
The EU will run its first tabletop exercise, overseen by Kaja Kallas, to test how Article 42.7 mutual assistance would work if a member is attacked, focusing on political rather than military responses. The drill follows drone attacks on Cyprus and aims to clarify whether aid could include military support, with ministers’ exercises to follow and an External Action Service paper outlining how guarantees might work in practice.
Britain's destroyer HMS Dragon has sailed from Portsmouth toward the Mediterranean after Prime Minister Keir Starmer confirmed the deployment in response to a drone strike on Cyprus's RAF Akrotiri base, noting the Royal Navy currently has no major warship stationed in the region.
Amid Iran-linked attacks in the region, European powers including France are deploying ships and defenses to Cyprus, where the UK maintains strategic Akrotiri and Dhekelia bases. Cyprus seeks de-escalation while hosting closer Greek-Israeli cooperation, turning the island into a focal point for European security amid the broader Middle East crisis.
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Paphos to meet Cyprus’s Nikos Christodoulides and Greece’s Kyriakos Mitsotakis, signaling European support for Cyprus amid tensions tied to the Iran war.
The UK MoD says the Shahed-type drone that hit RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus was not launched from Iran, though investigators cannot conclusively identify its origin (possible pro-Iran militias in Lebanon or western Iraq). No casualties or damage to the hangar were reported; Cyprus criticized the warning lapse and security coordination continues with UK and allies, amid broader discussions about US basing and potential strikes from Diego Garcia.
Britain is sending the HMS Dragon destroyer and two Wildcat helicopters to Cyprus to bolster drone defense after a Shahed drone attack on Akrotiri, while France moves the carrier Charles de Gaulle and its air wing to the Mediterranean to bolster allied defenses amid escalating Iran–US–Israel tensions.
After Iranian-made drones targeted the UK RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, Greece, France and Germany pledged military support to Cyprus: France will send a warship and extra anti-drone/anti-missile systems, Greece has dispatched four F-16s and two frigates, and Germany agreed to send a warship. The drones were reportedly launched from Lebanon, likely by Hezbollah. Cyprus activated its Unified Defence Doctrine as part of a broader EU response, while the UK said its bases in Cyprus will not be used by the US for Iran-related operations.
Germany’s foreign minister warned that an attack on a NATO member cannot be ruled out following a Shahed-type drone strike on the UK’s Akrotiri base in Cyprus, highlighting rising Iran-related tensions. He stressed the danger cannot be dismissed, noted Cyprus’ EU status but non-membership in NATO, and said Germany would defend itself if attacked while not permitting military facilities for such aims. He urged continued diplomacy with Iran as the US and Israel launched a large-scale offensive and Tehran fired missiles at US bases in the Gulf.
A drone strike hit the RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus, with UK foreign secretary Yvette Cooper confirming the attack and saying Britain is weighing all options to support about 300,000 British citizens in the Gulf amid rising regional tensions.
Cyprus’ first lady Philippa Karsera says she is stepping down from the AFKS charity fund’s management committee, citing an ‘unrelenting attack’ on social media; the move follows a secretly recorded video alleging ways to bypass campaign spending caps, grant access to the president and first lady, and misuse corporate social contributions. The government denies the claims and has sought international help to trace the video’s origin, while the opposition questions donor transparency as coalition allies weigh their support ahead of May elections and the 2028 presidential vote.