On Thursday, 4 February, the Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, attended the 7th Greece – Cyprus Intergovernmental Defence Council, which took place via teleconference, within the framework of the permanent, constant, and upgraded political cooperation between the two countries in the areas of Defence and Security.
The Minister of National Defence discussed with his Cypriot counterpart, Mr. Charalambos Petrides, the security challenges in the broader area, the trilateral defence cooperations of Greece and Cyprus with Israel and Egypt, as well as the defence cooperations with EU and NATO member states. The goal of these actions is to jointly shape conditions of security and stability in the East Mediterranean, highlighting the important stabilising role played by Greece and Cyprus in the broader region.
The 7th Greece – Cyprus Intergovernmental Defence Council examined matters concerning Defence Initiatives in the EU, where Greece and Cyprus cooperate closely, and included an exchange of views concerning the coordination of our positions on Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)-related matters, as well as talks between delegations of the two Ministries and the Hellenic National Defence General Staff and the Cypriot National Guard General Staff.
The Minister of National Defence extended an invitation to his Cypriot counterpart to visit Athens, which was accepted and arranged for 16 February. After the conclusion of the 7th Greece – Cyprus Intergovernmental Defence Council, Mr. Panagiotopoulos stated the following:
“Today we completed, via teleconference, the works of the 7th Greece – Cyprus Intergovernmental Defence Council, which took place in a critical period for the East Mediterranean, as well as the broader region.
Within this framework, I had the great pleasure of discussing with my Cypriot counterpart, Mr. Charalambos Petrides, with whom we discovered, through our meetings, that coordination and synergy between the Armed Forces of Greece and Cyprus are constantly upgraded, while important matters of our defence cooperation are addressed quickly.
In today’s Intergovernmental Council, we discussed the possibilities to improve the interoperability and operational cooperation of our Armed Forces and, in general, the further enhancement of our cooperation in the area of defence on various matters, both at bilateral, as well as at EU level.
Moreover, we talked about the security situation shaped in the East Mediterranean by actions and aspirations that violate our sovereign rights and International Law.
We discussed the Defence Initiatives in the EU, where Greece and Cyprus cooperate closely, and exchanged views concerning the coordination of our positions on Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO)-related matters.
We lay particular emphasis on Greece and Cyprus’s trilateral defence cooperations with Israel and Egypt, as well as the defence cooperations with EU and NATO member states.
Through joint exercises and training activities, as well as the value added of these multilevel trilateral cooperation schemes, we jointly create conditions of security and stability in the East Mediterranean, highlighting our important role in the region.
I am convinced that today’s Intergovernmental Defence Council contributes to the successful course of bilateral defence cooperation, which constitutes the basis for the enhancement of the strategic relationship between Greece and Cyprus, as well as the development of broader regional cooperations, in order to secure peace and prosperity in our region”.
