The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Dr. Maria Panayiotou, traveled to Vienna on Tuesday to represent the Minister of Defence at the Security Dialogue on Environment and Security that will take place tomorrow, February 21, in the framework of a joint meeting of the Permanent Council of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC). Cyprus has undertaken the chair of the FSC in January until April 2024. The FSC and the Permanent Council of the OSCE, constitute the two autonomous decision making bodies of the organisation. A press release by the Ministry of Agriculture said that the joint FSC - Permanent OSCE Council meeting, will be held in the presence of OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid and aims to explore the evolving role of military forces in responding to natural and man-made disasters and examine ways to reduce the consequences of military activities, including conflict, environment and climate change. Within the framework of the Forum, the Cyprus Presidency has scheduled four Security Dialogue meetings in order to discuss and highlight the priorities it has set, such as the promotion of demining and gender mainstreaming in the implementation of the Organization's civil-military commitments. In the Environment and Security Dialogue, the participating states will discuss issues such as the response of the armed forces to the increasing number of disasters, expanding their capabilities through humanitarian aid operations and search and rescue operations, the adoption of more environmentally friendly practices by the military regarding the management of gas emissions and environmental pollution and degradation; integrating climate concerns into national security and defence strategies, as well as how crises affect women and men from different backgrounds. Source: Cyprus News Agency