The Republic of Cyprus and the United States of America have reached a mutually beneficial deepening of defence cooperation during the second meeting of the bilateral Defence and Security Dialogue which took place in early June, in Washington, between a delegation of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of the Republic of Cyprus and a delegation of the US Department of Defense.
In statements to the CNA, Brigadier General Charis Georgiou, head of the Minister of Defence’s military staff, said that the main purpose of the meeting was to expand and upgrade the two countries’ defence and military cooperation and noted that they were now putting together a specific cooperation plan with some objectives that should be implemented within the coming years.
He said that there was mutual intention for expanding strategic cooperation, such as for example, an agreement on the exchange of classified information between the Ministries of Defence of the two countries.
At the same time, Georgiou said that a joint military exercise was expected to take place within the year, following the previous exercises that took place between the two countries.
He said that a third meeting will take place in Cyprus in 2024 at a time to be determined by the two sides and noted that the purpose of these meetings was to monitor the implementation progress and evaluate the goals that have been set, as well as to set new ones.
Georgiou also said that during the meeting, cooperation matters and the training of military officers in the USA were also discussed, within the framework of the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme through which the US provides funds for the training of military officers. He added that during the current period approximately 20 officers of the Cyprus National Guard (NG) will be trained. He noted that this, specific training of Cypriot officers began two years ago and continues progressively with more participants.
Georgiou told CNA that during the meeting they also discussed the implementation of joint cooperation exercises with the US armed forces, while the Cypriot side requested a ‘more frequent and greater presence’ of the American armed forces on the island for joint training with military units of the NG.
He also said that, in the context of the meeting, they reviewed developments and the security situation in the wider area of Cyprus, in relation to Turkey in particular, and added that the Cypriot delegation briefed the US officials about the country’s regional defence policy which is based on extroversion and cooperation with states of the Middle East and the Gulf and a network of bilateral and trilateral defence partnerships.
In addition, Georgiou said that the Cypriot delegation carried out an analysis of security issues in Cyprus and reported that the Turkish occupying forces have not only not reduced their military forces and equipment they keep on the island, but on the contrary are upgrading, mainly technologically, with better electronic and monitoring systems.
He also referred to the military base that the occupying forces have developed in occupied Lefkoniko with the possibility for landing for various types of unmanned aircraft, showing in this way, as Georgiou said, that this particular base does not only concern Cyprus but aims to control the wider Middle East region, affecting the interests of neighbouring states and states that have a presence in the eastern Mediterranean.
Georgiou told CNA that they also discussed the provision of expertise by the US regarding cyber defence and cyber security as well as climate change issues and especially the Armed Forces’ carbon footprint.
Lifting of the US arms embargo
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Regarding the lifting of the US embargo on the sale of defence equipment to Cyprus, Gergiou told CNA that the Republic of Cyprus has already made purchases from the American defence industry. He added that the delegation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus welcomed the lifting of the anachronistic embargo and called on the US to end the annual assessment for the renewal of the lifting of the arms embargo, which, as he said, would broaden the prospects of cooperation.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Source: Cyprus News Agency