‘The current  three-day meeting of the Ministers of National Defence in Cyprus is a very important and historic event.
I would very much like to thank the Minister of National Defence of Cyprus, Christoforos Fokaidis and the Minister of Defence of Egypt, Sedky Sobhy, because today’s meeting is the result of strenuous work over the past years, bilateral meetings, defence and military cooperation and essentially of the policy implementation in the defence sector, mapped out by the leaders of our three countries, namely President Sisi, President Nikos Anastasiadis and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
The current three-day meeting is not only the result of the works that preceded it, but the beginning of a close cooperation as well. As of today, the three countries, officially, proceed with the defence cooperation in all those sectors required for the establishment of a stability axis in the South-East Mediterranean. The transformation of the South-East Mediterranean into a sea area of peace, cooperation, progress, development, intercultural exchanges and security.
Today’s meeting does not concern only the countries in the area, but it also concerns the whole of the global community, since it constitutes a hope for a region, which for many years has been suffering from riots, wars, weapons, drugs and human trafficking, financed radicalism and terrorism. Terrorism does not only exist in the Middle East, but it has expanded in Europe, in the USA, in Russia and other countries.
It is not a political agreement, it is essentially the staff mapping of our next actions regarding close cooperation, which will bring results in the wider area and in other countries as well, wishing to participate in this joint effort.
I would like to assure that the first exercises conducted in the last two years, the close cooperation, like the one in ‘Medousa’ exercise a few days ago in Rhodes, with a landing operation and the participation of a great naval force from Egypt, the Hellenic Armed Forces, the Hellenic and Egyptian Air Force, with the participation of observers from Cyprus, the USA, Italy and other countries, proved that we can have a common military conduct where necessary.
Challenges, besides terrorism, arise in the form of hybrid war, cyber defence, information exchange, coordination with common rules of engagement for countering events in the wider area and the mapping of a common strategy, which will help bring peace in the South-East Mediterranean.
The energy policy requires security. Cyprus is the hub which connects Africa and the Middle East with Europe, and Greece which connects South-East Europe with Central Europe.
Cyprus is an energy-production country and Greece is going to follow in this direction in the next months. Drillings have already begun and at the same time the plans for pipes construction are underway, which will change our countries’ geopolitical importance in the next few years.
In this mapping of energy policy the leader of the Arabic world must be present, and this is Egypt. At this point, I would like to point out Egypt’s special importance, not only in relation to North Africa, but to the Mediterranean wider region as well. Egypt’s stability at this moment, President Sisi inspired leadership and the coordination in defence and security issues constitute the hope for the future.
Egypt is the ‘liaison country’ along the ‘silk route’ towards Europe and the North. The defence cooperation between our countries, after defining the EEZ, will be able, in this very sensitive naval area among Suez, Cyprus, Crete and Malta, to secure a zone, within which there will be no drugs and weapons trafficking, which finance terrorism.
It will be able to constitute a stability zone, where traffickers will not be able to conduct the trafficking of human souls, by exploiting pain and war. The defence cooperation will ensure free navigation and energy at the same time.
I would like to state that we are already making provisions in the next months, as announced by the Ministers, to establish an experts’ committee in the first four months and to call a summit of Ministers in the next six months.
Cyprus will participate in the next Greece-Egypt bilateral ‘Medousa’ exercise. We also start a joint Special Forces exercise for the protection of essential energy infrastructures, air-navy forces exercises for the protection of underwater pipes, exercises dealing with civil protection, naval operation, research and rescue. These exercises will result in the coordination among the Armed Forces of our countries.
I especially thank my three fellow Ministers and friends. Allow me to conclude by highlighting the human factor. When the Minister of Defence of Egypt first visited Greece-during my first days as Minister of Defence of Greece after the events and riots in Athens-he saw in my office the picture of an Evzone crying because of the Athens riots. He also wanted a copy of that picture for his office, because it reminded him of Egypt’s hard times. This means that Egypt’s Minister of Defence, the leader of the Armed Forces, has a human side, being also people’s leader and not just simply the leader of an anonymous army.
This is what binds us. A common perception, not only regarding the joint strategic doctrine, but the safeguarding of all the values that Egypt, Cyprus and Greece always embraced.
Thank you’.