Athens: President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, will hold an exchange of views with European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, in Athens on Tuesday, according to a European Commission announcement on Thursday.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Kubilius will visit the Greek capital on Monday and Tuesday, 4 and 5 May, for discussions on strengthening the European defence industry and the strategic importance of space infrastructure. As reported, on Monday the Commissioner will meet with Greece's Minister of Digital Governance, Dimitris Papastergiou, and Greece's Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias. He will also visit the European Union's secure satellite communications (GOVSATCOM) facilities to observe Greece's contribution to secure satellite connectivity.
Greece is contributing its own means to GOVSATCOM and has been selected as the base of one of the two GOVSATCOM hubs. It will serve as a hub for the management and delivery of secure satellite communications for critical infrastructure in all EU Member States. This will be followed by an exchange of views in the Hellenic Parliament with the European Affairs Committee and a roundtable with defense and space companies, the Commission notes.
It also reports that Commissioner Kubilius will exchange views with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and will participate in the opening ceremony of the Defence Exhibition in Athens (DEFEA), where a discussion will focus on the European Defence Industrial Strategy. The visit will also include a meeting of the Commissioner with the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to discuss the defense readiness 2030 agenda and the competitiveness of the defense and space industry, with a focus on further integrating Greek capabilities into the broader European framework, reducing strategic dependencies, and strengthening its collective readiness, the Commission notes.