Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides participated in the proceedings of the Foreign Affairs Council, composed of Defence Ministers, held today in Brussels. At the end of the Council's proceedings, Mr. Petrides made the following statement.
As Cyprus, we supported early action by the European Union in emerging conflicts before they develop into a crisis, as well as the more effective use of the European Peace Facility.
During the meeting of the European Defence Agency, I supported the creation of an innovation hub, called for the exemption of defence expenditure from the budget deficit procedure and noted the need to simplify the procedures for joint procurement of defence equipment.
We also had the opportunity to be briefed on developments in relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by the Ukrainian Minister of Defence via teleconference.
Once again, we unequivocally condemned the Russian invasion and stressed the need to intensify diplomatic efforts for political dialogue between the two sides with a view to a ceasefire."
For the video of the Minister's statement, click here.
(MΓ)
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