The Netherlands Prime Minister Rob Jetten joined his French, Greek, Spanish and Italian counterparts in voicing support for the security of Cyprus in a social media post on Tuesday evening.
Responding to a post by President Nikos Christodoulides, following the deployment of a Dutch frigate to the island, the Dutch prime minister said: “The Netherlands stands with Cyprus. Your security is our security.”
In the earlier post post by Christodoulides, the Cypriot President expressed his “deep appreciation” to Jetten and the Dutch government for the “tangible support to Cyprus, with the decision to deploy a frigate to Cyprus, together with other European partners.”
He added that this is European solidarity in practice.
“Standing with Cyprus means defending the security and stability of the European Union,” said Christodoulides.
The Netherlands stands with Cyprus. Your security is our security. 🇳🇱🇪🇺🇨🇾 https://t.co/EobKIGLJhz
— Rob Jetten (@MinPres) March 10, 2026
The Dutch frigate is escorting the French nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, along with Spanish and Italian frigates. The request for Dutch involvement in the ‘defensive’ mission to the Eastern Mediterranean came from France.
Attacks not in line with international law
According to Politico, the Dutch PM – the youngest in Netherlands history at 38 – believes US-Israeli strikes on Iran are not in line with international law.
Quoted in an article published last Saturday, Jetten said: “Both the attacks on Iran last week and the unacceptable retaliation from Iran on countries in the region fall outside the framework of international law.”
While he has an “understanding” for the initial strikes against Iran, given Tehran’s long-standing threat to its own population and to regional stability, Jetten argued that the international community must continue to defend international law and pursue diplomatic solutions “however difficult that may be”.
He also questioned the ultimate objective of the US-Israeli campaign, which has seen the conflict spread across the region ,even to Cyprus.
“The main question remains: when will the attacks be considered successful?” Jetten said, adding that to judge the methods chosen by the US and Israel in Iran, the Dutch government needs to “understand what the intentions and goals are with these attacks”.
Source: CNA, Politico