Cyprus will further strengthen its relations with the Gulf countries, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said on Sunday, adding that he will soon undertake another tour of the region.

Speaking to Phileleftheros, he said that the island is “close to all the countries where we have relations”.

He recalled the presence of leaders from the countries of the region at the informal European Council in Nicosia a week ago.

The presence of the leaders from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan as well as the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council was an important event not only for the Cyprus Presidency but also for the European Union itself, he said.

“With the Gulf we will strengthen our relations” because it is something “very important that will continue,” he said.

“The facts are changing and we are not mere observers,” he added.

“We understand,” he said, “that the efforts that are being made and our foreign policy may bother Turkey, but that is not what will determine our policy.”

He also said that the Cyprus presidency of the EU Council was not affected in any way by the Turkish moves.