Today, Monday 8 June 2026, the Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, attended the EU Foreign Affairs Council in its Defence Ministers Configuration, held in Nicosia, in the framework of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU.
During the informal meeting, the Defence Ministers discussed developments in Ukraine, maritime security, freedom of navigation, as well as the European defence strategy.
During his address, Mr. Dendias pointed out the need of reinforcing the European defence industry and, following a relevant mention by his Cypriot counterpart, Vasilis Palmas, informed on the Turkish radio harassment, which originated from the occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus.
Mr. Dendias, arriving at the informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers, stated:
“Today, in the framework of the Meeting of EU Defence Ministers, besides Ukraine, we will discuss issues of security and freedom of navigation. In this framework, Operation ASPIDES, commanded by Greece, is of central importance: the role following the broadening of the mandate and of course the security of all participants therein.
Besides that, we will discuss matters which concern the EU Defence Strategy, our joint defence, how we can create a complementary arm to NATO, based on article 42, par. 7 of the Treaty on European Union, that is, the perception on mutual contribution, mutual aid, European solidarity.
I would also like, as a closing remark, since the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU is drawing to a close, to say that for a Greek Minister it is always touching to be here, in Nicosia, the capital city of Cypriot Hellenism, at the moment when Cyprus, the Republic of Cyprus holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU, our common European family. I believe that the souls of Giannos Kranidiotis and Theodoros Pangalos are happy”.
A working dinner followed, where the Defence Ministers exchanged opinions on the defence dimension of the Security Strategy currently formed, focusing mainly on promoting the European Union’s defence readiness, the contribution of the EU in reinforcing NATO’s European pillar, improving the effectiveness of the decision making apparatus, and the operational implementation of article 42 (2) of the Mutual Defence Clause”.
In the framework of his visit to Cyprus, the Minister of National Defence visited His Beatitude, the Archbishop of Nova Justiniana and All Cyprus, Mr. Georgios, at the Holy Archdiocese of Cyprus.
Subsequently, Mr. Dendias was received by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, at the Presidential Palace.
Replying to the speech of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, the Minister of National Defence stated:
“Mr. President, the pleasure is ever mine.
I feel myself at home. I am ever grateful for your gracious manner towards me and for the fact that every time I am in Cyprus you find time in your very tight schedule to see me.
This time especially, I want to take the opportunity to congratulate you on the Cypriot Presidency, on how a small country managed for 6 months to successfully hold the Presidency of the Council of the EU, this single space of hundreds of millions of people.
Let me also put in a good word for my good friend Vasilis Palmas, who admirably fulfilled his duties as president of the Council of Defence Ministers and, as a result, today we had a very meaningful discussion on matters of our common security. As you mentioned previously, it concerns both Greece and Cyprus, the creation of a Unified Defence Area, a perception of defence of the European Union, the supervision of defence programmes, and the development of defence capability, in order to defend this unique space of Democracy and protection of common rights that is the European Union”.
It is worth reminding that on Sunday, 7 June 2026, Mr. Dendias, attended the working dinner of the EU Defence Ministers in Nicosia.
