Defence Ministers of Greece and Cyprus announced on Friday the establishment of a political consultation body on defence cooperation, and underlined their common will to strengthen bilateral coordination, as well as the trilateral schemes in which the two countries participate.
Greek Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos and his Cypriot counterpart Michalis Georgallas met on Friday in the context of the latter’s first official visit to Greece since assuming duties. During their joint statements the two Ministers announced that they assessed the results of their cooperation within the EU framework, in programs such as PESCO, with both sides expressing satisfaction for the results.
Regarding the Cyprus issue, the Cypriot Defence Minister noted that “Turkey disregards its obligations towards the Republic of Cyprus and international law, and undermines with its anachronistic perceptions and maximalist demands the hopes for a solution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of the principles and values of the European Union.”
However, he reiterated Cyprus President’s willingness for “a more active involvement of the EU’ that could play ‘a decisive factor in breaking the deadlock and resuming the talks.”
At the same time, the Greek and Cypriot Defence Ministers stressed the determination of the two countries to defend their sovereign rights.
The Cypriot Defence Minister referred to the two countries’ close defence and military cooperation, underlining that Greece and Cyprus are “pillars of peace, security, stability, development and prosperity in the turbulent geopolitical environment of the Eastern Mediterranean.”
He said that in the context of the two governments’ decision to establish a High Council for Intergovernmental Cooperation, the Greek and Cypriot Defence Ministries will proceed with the establishment of a political consultative body on defence issues.
Regarding the trilateral cooperation schemes and the quadrilateral initiative with France and Italy, Georgallas noted that during his meeting with his Greek counterpart they identified specific goals.
“We also had a particularly productive exchange of views on the defence cooperation that Cyprus and Greece have developed with the US. Cyprus aims to further deepen its cooperation with the US, especially after the full lifting of the arms embargo and our upcoming entry into the State Partnership Program with the New Jersey National Guard,” Georgallas said.
On his part, Greek Minister of National Defence Nikos Panagiotopoulos added to the above-mentioned issues his wish for the emerging de-escalation in Greek-Turkish relations to continue and create prospects for the resumption of dialogue, always within the framework of international law and good neighboring relations.
Source: Cyprus News Agency