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It is with great pleasure that I accept your invitation to pay my first official visit to Athens after assuming my duties as Minister of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus.
Thank you for your warm welcome. It is indicative of the close relationship between Cyprus and Greece and the long and strong friendship and cooperation between our countries.
Through this relationship, which is characterized, inter alia, by mutual trust and respect, common principles, values and ideals and a shared vision, a very favorable environment has been created for the development and success of our objectives and the meeting of challenges.
A key component of the defence policy of the Republic of Cyprus is the sincere, close and lasting cooperation between Cyprus and Greece. This is the basis for all our efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
During my meeting with my friend the Minister of National Defence, I was thoroughly briefed on the security situation on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, with particular reference to Turkey's provocative actions in the buffer zone.
With Mr. Dendias we also discussed, in addition to the issues raised at the 1st Intergovernmental Conference, issues concerning our bilateral defence and military cooperation, our trilateral cooperation with the states of Israel, Egypt and Jordan, and our quadrilateral cooperation with France and Italy. For each of these, the objectives and prospects for strengthening them were set out.
We also exchanged views on our countries' defence cooperation with the United States of America (USA), which, I repeat, is the result of a coordinated and consistent effort over the past period.
As the Republic of Cyprus, especially after the lifting of the arms embargo, we aim to further deepen our cooperation with the US, which enhances our role in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region.
In the context of our cooperation in the European Union, we have witnessed the high level of understanding and cooperation, especially in areas related to the development of European capabilities.
Cyprus and Greece remain committed in this direction, supporting European initiatives on defence and security issues, thus exploiting the potential created by the joint procurement programmes for armament systems.
Our discussion also touched upon the situation in Ukraine and its consequences, as well as the situation in Israel and the Middle East, especially after the crisis in the Red Sea. We support efforts to implement the new European mission for the protection of freedom of navigation.
Mr. Minister,
In view of our mutual commitment to maintaining stability, security and peace in the complex, multifaceted and turbulent geopolitical environment of the Eastern Mediterranean, we pledge to strengthen our efforts for further coordination and more effective cooperation.
The Republic of Cyprus is in full consultation and cooperation with Greece and its partners in the European Union. As a Government, we declare that we remain committed to the struggle to defend our national independence, territorial integrity and sovereign rights.
In conclusion, it will be a great pleasure for me personally to host the Minister of National Defence in Cyprus and I extend to him an official invitation.
(ΕΠ/ΝΖ)
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