Cyprus calls on EU to design joint defence plan for member state attack

European Union leaders meeting in Cyprus must begin developing a clear framework for what should occur if a member state under attack requests assistance from other bloc countries, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said.

In an exclusive interview with the Associated Press, Christodoulides said EU leaders will address the need for “giving substance” to Article 42.7 of the bloc’s treaties, which obliges all 27 member states to support one another in times of crisis.

The provision stipulates that if a country is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, its partners are expected to provide “aid and assistance by all the means in their power.” However, it has never been activated, meaning there are no established procedures defining how EU states should respond to such a request.

“We have Article 42.7 and we don’t know what is going to happen if a member state triggers this article,” Christodoulides said ahead of an EU-Mideast summit he is hosting later this week, expected to focus on the Iran war and its fallout. “So we’re going to have a discussion and prepare, let’s say, an operational plan of what is going to happen in case a member state triggers this article, and there are a number of issues.”

The matter carries particular significance for Christodoulides, who last month sought assistance from fellow EU countries after a Shahed drone hit a British air base on the island’s southern coast. Cypriot authorities said the drone originated from Lebanon, whose capital lies just 207 kilometres (129 miles) from Cyprus’ southern shoreline.

In response, Greece, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Portugal deployed naval vessels equipped with anti-drone systems to help bolster the island’s defences.

By Jeyhun Aghazada