Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates signed a programme of bilateral defence cooperation between the Armed Forces of UAE and the Cypriot National Guard for 2024. A press release issued on Friday by the National Guard's General Staff says that the programme was signed on Thursday in Abu Dhabi by Lieutenant Colonel Demetris Panayides, Director of the General Staff's Directorate for International Relations and Colonel Nasser Mahdi Al Alhbabi, head of the Emirati Armed Forces' European Cooperation department. The programme features joint exercises, training and exchange of best practices and expertise on specific issues, the press release said. According to the Cypriot General Staff the programme lies in the context of bilateral and multilateral actions of the National Guard that manifest its will to upgrade and enhance the wider international collaboration with friendly countries, 'as it is acknowledged that contemporary challenges and threats are common and cross border in nature and therefore their manageme nt requires multilateral and multi-faceted action.' Source: Cyprus News Agency