The Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the EU is a ‘golden opportunity’ to strengthen the Greek and Cypriot defence industries and to showcase their capabilities, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides told the Greek Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, during their meeting at the Presidential Palace on Monday.
According to a press release issued by the Presidency, welcoming Dendias, the President said that “our friendship and cooperation go back many years. Your visit at this time is particularly important, taking into account developments in our region as well as in the EU regarding the SAFE programme and how we can cooperate.’
The President noted that the Cyprus’ Presidency of the EU, which begins in less than 50 days, is a “golden opportunity” to further strengthening the Greek and Cypriot defence industries and highlighting their capabilities.
‘We must see how we can push forward defence and security issues for Cyprus and Greece even further. These are extremely important sectors, taking into account the Turkish occupation and provocations, but also the fact that we are geographically located in an area of particular geostrategic importance,’ he said.
On his part, Nikos Dendias said, among other things, that he and his Cypriot counterpart, Vassilis Palmas, had the opportunity to discuss the further deepening of defence cooperation between the two countries, particularly in matters related to the defence industry and ecosystem of Greece and Cyprus.
He added that the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU will provide “a tremendous opportunity”, noting that he looks forward to deepening bilateral cooperation.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.