Foreign Minister Kombos attends EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels

On July 13, 2026, Cypriot Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos participated in the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. During the meeting, he formally denounced the memorandum of understanding signed between Turkey and the Turkish-occupied north of Cyprus regarding the construction of a natural gas pipeline, describing it as an effort to solidify the occupation. The Council agenda included discussions on Russian aggression in Ukraine, the EU’s strategy for the Black Sea, the situation in the Middle East, UN-EU relations, and developments in Sudan. Regarding Ukraine, Minister Kombos expressed support for the 21st package of EU sanctions against Russia and emphasized the need to prevent sanction circumvention. Additionally, the Minister participated in the third High-Level Forum on EU-Gulf Cooperation Council regional security. Following the main Council sessions, he attended the Second Ministerial Meeting of the Palestinian Donor Group, co-chaired by EU Commissioner Dubravka Šuica and Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa. The Minister also held several bilateral meetings with his counterparts during his stay.