The Bilateral Defense Cooperation Program between the National Guard and the Armed Forces of Israel and the corresponding Trilateral Program with the participation of the Armed Forces of Greece for the year 2023 were signed on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, in Tel Aviv.
The signing ceremony was preceded by extended talks between the delegations of the countries, during which a review of the bilateral and then trilateral cooperation to date was held, respectively. The talks confirmed the significant progress achieved in the existing areas of cooperation, and a preliminary discussion took place regarding additional areas of common interest to be included in future programmes. In addition, there was an exchange of views and assessments on the security challenges in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region and, more generally, on the international security climate resulting from geopolitical developments.
The Bilateral Defence Cooperation Programme includes a significant number of actions, which will take place both in Cyprus and in Israel, further strengthening bilateral military cooperation. At the same time, it is a confirmation of the steady upgrading of the multifaceted cooperation between the two countries' armed forces, particularly in the year 2022, with the conduct of the large-scale interdisciplinary exercise "AGAPINOR" and the air defence exercise "IASON".
Furthermore, with the signing of the Trilateral Defence Cooperation Programme, the already close military cooperation between the Cyprus, Greece and Israel Defence Forces is further deepened and the role of the three countries as actors of stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond is strengthened.
The above programmes are part of the wide range of bilateral and multilateral actions developed by the National Guard, under the direction of the Ministry of Defence and, among other things, provide for the conduct of joint exercises, training and exchange of expertise on specialised issues. At the same time, they express the enduring commitment and will of Cyprus, Greece and Israel to upgrade and strengthen cooperation and ties between their armed forces, as it has been recognized that addressing common challenges and promoting security and stability requires multilateral and multilateral action between countries that share the same ideals and principles, which are rooted in international law.
(OP)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
