Day: September 10, 2021

A two-day training of elite forces between the US and Cyprus that ended on Friday is a milestone in bilateral relations which are being deepened, according to Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides and US Ambassador Judith Garber.

The exercise was part of the bilateral cooperation between Cyprus and the US and was carried out on the General Support Vessel “ALASIA” of the Navy Command that is docked at Limassol Port.

Minister Petrides described Friday’s elite training of the National Guard Special Forces with the US Navy Seals as “another milestone in our enhanced defence cooperation with the US.”

In remarks at the end of the two-day training, Petrides said the exercise between the two countries “special forces is part of numerous developments during the last couple of years, such as access to IMET, the partial lifting of the arms embargo for non-lethal material through ITAR, the establishment of CYCLOPS and many more. Cyprus and the US are on the same strategic boat.”

“We need to be able to respond to asymmetric threats and emerging crises,” he added.

Our objective, he stressed, “is to deepen and enhance our bilateral defence cooperation with the US.”

Minister Petrides also underlined the importance attached to this sort of elite training, “increasing our interoperability and ability to work together for the security and stability in the region”.

The Defence Minister said they “look forward to more joint exercises and joint activities with the US Armed Forces.”

US Ambassador Judith Garber said she was especially proud of the joint training of the National Guard Special Forces with the US Navy Seals.

She also expressed satisfaction about the progress of bilateral relations, adding more will follow in the near future with joint activities as both countries are working together for safety and stability in the wider region. Garber remarked that “automatically exercising and working together seems as if it is the most natural thing in the world” between the two countries.

“We have made such progress in our bilateral security cooperation since the signing of the Statement of Intent back in November 2018,” said Garber.

“It’s great to see this level of security cooperation and we are looking forward to even more as we work together for regional security and stability,” she said.

With the partial lifting through a waiver of our defence trade restrictions on non-lethal sales “we are very much hoping to see the results on that”, she said, adding the she is very pleased that some US companies have participated in recent tenders. “These are all signs of our deepening cooperation and we are looking forward to doing many much more exercises together in the near future,” she noted.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

UN Secretary General`s Special Representative in Cyprus, who is leaving her post at the end of September, has expressed the hope that a Cyprus settlement will come much sooner rather than later.

Spehar, who was received on Friday by Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades at the Presidential Palace for a farewell meeting, noted that she has been very impressed by the Cypriots, by their perseverance and by their desire for peace. She will also have a farewell meeting on Monday with Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar.

“I came to the Palace to see Anastasiades ahead of his upcoming trips and especially to thank him and his government for all of the cooperation and support over the five plus years that I’ve been here on the island, Spehar said in statements after the meeting which lasted just over an hour.

She noted that “there are a lot of people on this island, on both sides, who continue to work for peace. Sometimes they are very courageous and it is important what they are doing and what they are saying. They want to see a better future for this island, for everyone, and I hope that they will continue.”

“Because it is very important to get more people involved in the peace process,” she added.

She recalled that the UN Secretary – General Antonio Guterres said that he will not give up, and expressed hope that the Cypriots will also not give up.

Spehar thanked everyone that she has worked with all of these years. “I feel that I have been very embraced by the island overall all of this time. It has been a marvellous experience,” she noted.

She went on to say that “whatever happens in the future I wish the best for this island and I await the day of the solution to the Cyprus problem.”

“I hope it will come much sooner rather than later,” she noted.

“I will always have a very soft spot in my heart for Cyprus and for the Cypriots,” Spehar concluded.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Numerous UN backed talks to reunite the island have failed to yield results.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades is set to pay Bahrain an official visit on Monday during which an MoU on Financial and Technical Cooperation and a Visa Waiver Agreement for diplomatic, special and official passports are expected to be signed.

President Anastasiades will be accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Nikos Christodoulides, Energy, Commerce and Industry Minister Natasa Pilides, Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Minister Costas Kadis, Tourism Deputy Minister Savvas Perdios and Government Spokesperson Marios Pelekanos, a presidency press release says.

“The visit takes place in the framework of a government decision to develop bilateral relations with Arab Gulf countries,” the press release adds.

During the visit, Cyprus` President will have a meeting with King of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Khalifa, with whom they will also chair extended talks between the delegations of the two countries.

During the visit, the press release notes, a Memorandum of Understanding on Financial and Technical Cooperation and a Visa Waiver Agreement for diplomatic, special and official passports will be also signed.

“The government considers the further development of relations with Bahrain as particularly important since it enhances the multilateral approach of its foreign policy, since among other things, the President of the Republic will discuss Bahrain`s support of our country in the Islamic Cooperation Organisation, as well as of his Climate Change Initiative,” the press release reads.

The visit, it continues, is also seen as an opportunity for mutual briefing and exchange of views on recent developments in the broader region, adding that on the part of President Anastasiades emphasis will be placed on Turkish provocations against Cyprus.

It is further noted that the fact that they are both islands, their population size as well as the their strategic geographical position create the conditions for a greater exchange of experiences and cooperation in a significant number of fields.

During his stay in Bahrain President Anastasiades will visit the country`s Economic Development Council responsible in the area of investments, while on the sidelines of the official visit, the Ministers accompanying him will have bilateral meetings with their counterparts, the press release concludes.

Source: Cyprus News Agency