War “has already touched on European soil”, Dutch member of the European Parliament Jeroen Lenaers warned on Wednesday, as lawmakers discussed the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the drone strike on Cyprus which occurred last week.

Lenaers was making his remarks at the plenary session in Strasbourg on behalf of the European People’s Party, the largest party in the European Parliament and the party to which Disy belongs.

“This crisis also tells us something about Europe. Iranian drones reached Cyprus. That means this conflict … is no longer distant. It has already touched on European soil. And when Europe’s security is at stake, Europe must act together,” he said.

He acknowledged that in the aftermath of the drone strike, Cyprus did not invoke the Lisbon Treaty’s Article 42(7), the European Union’s common defence clause, but said, “imagine if a member state does”.

“Solidarity cannot be improvised in the middle of a crisis. If a member state attacked, Europe needs to know how it responds,” he said.

The day’s debate had been opened by Cypriot European Affairs Deputy Minister Marilena Raouna, who told the chamber that “for Cyprus, the situation is not theoretical”.

“Our geography connects us directly to the region, and it connects Europe to this region. From the corner of our union, it is abundantly clear what is at stake,” she said, before adding that last week’s drone strike “demonstrates how quickly and indiscriminately [conflict] can spread”.

She also expressed “Cyprus’ sincere appreciation for the strong solidarity and support” shown by EU institutions, including by European Council President Antonio Costa and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, and by EU member states, including Greece, France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands, which all deployed naval assets to the island’s vicinity.

“Cyprus will never forget,” she said, before adding that the deployment of those assets constitutes “European unity and solidarity in action” and “a message that the security of one member state is the security of the entire European Union”.

She then echoed the words of French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited Cyprus on Monday, saying, “when one member state is attacked, the entire European Union is attacked”, before once again expressing her gratitude to the rest of the EU.

“You made one thing clear: Cyprus is not the periphery of Europe, it is Europe’s frontline, and it is the beacon of the eastern Mediterranean,” she said.

Her speech to the parliament was followed by that of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said, “I want to be very clear: all of us here stand in full solidarity with Cyprus”, and added that “your security is our security”.

Later, Italian MEP Nicola Procaccini spoke on behalf of the ECR group, to which Elam belongs, and said that the “European Union must address the evolving crisis in the Middle East with clarity and pragmatism”, and that it “cannot fail to offer concrete solidarity to Cyprus”.

Her speech was followed by that of French MEP Valerie Hayer, who spoke on behalf of Renew Europe, to which Dipa belongs. She warned of the “extremely worrying consequences” of the conflict “for the Iranian people, for the entire region, and for Europeans”.

“The Iranian regime is still standing and retaliating. It is bombing our allies and, worse, attacking Cyprus, a member state of the European Union,” she said, before offering her “solidarity” to Raouna.

Of the Cypriot MEPs, Disy’s Michalis Hadjipantela said that the ongoing conflict has “raised the alarm of instability in our neighbourhood”.

“Cyprus remains safe, thanks to the direct and practical solidarity of the European Union,” he said, before offering his thanks to the five EU member states which have deployed military assets to the island and its vicinity.

“It has been proven that we are not alone. That is not just a slogan, but it has been our experience in recent days. The European family stands by us, and we are grateful for that,” he said.

Akel’s Giorgos Georgiou, meanwhile, focused on the conflict at large, saying that “a volatile Trump and a criminal Netanyahu have unleashed hell in the Middle East, with unpredictable consequences for the people of the region, but also for the people of Europe”.

He said the war is being carried out “not for democracy”, for “democracy is not imposed with bombs, let us be honest”.

“Everything is being done for oil and spheres of influence,” he added, before accusing von der Leyen of “crying selectively over the loss of life”.

He added that while he “recognises” the European solidarity offered to Cyprus following last week’s drone strike, “I hope it does not disappear the next day, because Turkey is still there”.

Elam’s Geadis Geadi said that the drone strike “made it clear that it is not only Ukraine, but Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean, which must be shielded”.

“Let European solidarity and defence become action, and not be left to bilateral relations,” he said, before accusing the “usual suspects” of “rushing to exploit the crisis”.

“Turkey, which through the state bank, Halkbank, helped the Iranian regime to circumvent sanctions, illegally deployed six armed F-16s [fighter jets] in the occupied territories of Cyprus, supposedly to protect Turkish interests,” he said.

His reference to Halkbank came after the United States’ justice department halted its prosecution of the bank over alleged violations of sanctions on Iran, striking an agreement to defer the prosecution. Halkbank is 91.5 per cent owned by Turkey’s sovereign wealth fund.

Geadi concluded his speech by asking “from whom” Turkey wishes to protect its interests with the deployment of its F-16s.

“From its cronies in Iran and Hezbollah? And again, absolute silence from the European institutions,” he lamented.