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Defence Minister Michael Yiorgallas participated in the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) meeting of Defence Ministers held in Brussels on 14 November 2023.
In the presence of the NATO Secretary General, an exchange of views took place on issues concerning cooperation between the two organisations, the situation in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East.
This was followed by a meeting in the framework of the Board of Directors of the European Defence Agency, where the revised priorities for the development of the organisation's capabilities were presented.
Subsequently, the Ministers were briefed on the current situation in Ukraine and examined future measures to support Ukraine and find ways to accelerate the provision and coverage of its immediate needs.
In addition, the European Union (EU) Defence Ministers were briefed by the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mr. Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, regarding EU missions and the development of EU initiatives in defence and security.
Finally, a Joint Declaration of Intent for cooperation between the Ministries of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus and the Federal Republic of Germany was signed in the margins of the meeting.
At the end of the FAC, the Minister of Defence made the following statement to the media:
"I participated in the European Union Defence Ministers' Meeting in Brussels where I had the opportunity, in the presence of the NATO Secretary General, to reiterate the position of the Republic of Cyprus that the EU-NATO cooperation relationship must be governed by the principles of reciprocity, inclusiveness and autonomy of decision-making by the two Organisations.
During the debate on the latest developments in Ukraine, I mentioned to my counterparts that Cyprus will continue to provide humanitarian assistance and training to Ukraine in the areas of explosive ordnance disposal and demining, within the framework of the European Union Military Assistance Mission in Support of Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine).
EU High Representative Josep Borrell referred to the current developments in the Middle East conflict, highlighting also Cyprus' initiative to establish a secure, monitored sea corridor for the transport of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Mr Borrell referred to difficulties in the practical aspects of the Cypriot proposal, but stressed that it was a good initiative that should be supported. In my intervention I further elaborated on our government's proposal and thanked my counterparts for the support and backing they expressed. Boris Pistorius, who conveyed to me the thanks of the German Government for the facilities provided by the Republic of Cyprus to the German contingent of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) as well as to the German personnel stationed in Cyprus and participating in the organization of the Noncombatant Evacuation Operations (NEO) for the evacuation of civilians from the war zones in the Middle East.
During the meeting, Mr. Pistorius and I signed a Joint Declaration of Intent to strengthen and deepen Defence Cooperation between the Republic of Cyprus and the Federal Republic of Germany," the Defence Minister concluded.
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