Italy summons Iranian ambassador over Cyprus drone strike

The Italian foreign ministry on Tuesday summoned the Iranian ambassador in Rome to protest the firing of a drone at the United Kingdom’s Akrotiri air force base in Cyprus.

“I made it clear to the Iranian ambassador, after the attack which took place in Cyprus, that Europe has nothing to do with it, that it should not under any circumstances get involved in this story,” Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said after his meeting with the ambassador.

Earlier in the day, Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis had been asked whether Italy will join France and Greece in sending personnel and hardware to Cyprus in light of the drone strike.

“We are in coordination with all our partners, whether they are member states of the European Union, but also with third countries. We are in constant coordination with them, they are evaluating, the responses are positive,” he said.

He had said that the buildup of foreign military forces in and around Cyprus in recent days is “necessary”, but stressed that “in no case” is Cyprus party to the conflict.

“The assistance requested is necessary assistance. We always do what we must within the framework of preventative measures. That is the issue,” he told journalists.