Christodoulides: The EU ‘will pay’ over inaction on Gaza humanitarian crisis

The European Union will pay the price for not taking decisive action over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, President Nikos Christodoulides charged on Friday after the EU leaders’ summit did not reach any joint conclusions on the Middle East.

In an exclusive interview with Euronews, the president expressed his frustration and disappointment.

“If this humanitarian crisis continues, the EU will be the one to suffer the consequences. So the lack of willingness, the lack of preparation was something that I think is completely negative,” Christodoulides underlined.

According to the TV network, the president revealed that there are thoughts of initiatives with other Mediterranean member states.

Ahead of the summit’s first day on Wednesday, Christodoulides expressed the hope that there would be a “meaningful discussion…and conclusions about the developments in the Middle East,

“There is a war in our neighbourhood, a war in the neighbourhood of the European Union. And if today we don’t discuss this issue effectively, thoroughly, and if there are no conclusions from today’s Council, then we are sending a very wrong message as the European Union.”

Earlier this week Cyprus voted for a ceasefire in Gaza at the UN General Assembly, marking a shift from its position in October when it abstained from a vote for a “sustained humanitarian truce in the Middle East”.

In his interview, Christodoulides also spoke about the Cyprus problem, the Greek-Turkish approach and the way the decision on enlargement was taken as a “unanimity of 26”.

He was referring to the two-day summit where on Thursday, the leaders reached a historic deal to open accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova. Nonetheless, they failed to clinch a €50 billion package for Ukraine, due to opposition from Hungary’s Prime Minister Victor Orban.

Christodoulides also alluded to the controversial Article 4 in the European Media Freedom Act , where he said “the Cypriot government wishes to protect journalists and their sources”.