On November 29 and 30, 2022, the Chief of the Armed Forces of France, General Thierry Burkhard, paid an official visit to Cyprus, at the invitation of the Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis.
On 30 November 2022, an official reception took place at the General Headquarters of the General Staff of the National Guard, followed by a private meeting with the Chief of the National Guard. Mediterranean and Ukraine, as well as issues related to security and stability in the wider region. At the same time, they discussed the implementation of the military cooperation programme and the development of multilateral cooperation in the region, such as the Quadrilateral Initiative between Cyprus, France, Greece and Italy. The visit to the General Headquarters of the General Staff also included a briefing on the mission, operational capabilities and challenges faced by the National Guard, as well as extended talks between the delegations of the two countries during which, among other things, a review of defence cooperation at the strategic level was held.
The visit to the General Headquarters of the General Staff also included a briefing on the mission, operational capabilities and challenges faced by the National Guard, as well as extended talks between the delegations of the two countries during which, among other things, a review of defence cooperation at the strategic level was held. In this context, the intention to further deepen strategic cooperation in other areas of mutual interest was recorded, in the framework of both the Bilateral Defence Cooperation Programme and the corresponding Quadrilateral Programme with Greece and Italy, while thanks were expressed for the assistance and support provided by the Republic of Cyprus to the French Air Force deployed in the region.
General Thierry Burkhard also visited the "ANDREAS PAPANDREOU" Air Base, where he was informed about the mission, the work, as well as the capabilities and infrastructure that can be made available to friendly countries in support of aeronautical operations.
The visit of the French Chief of Staff concluded with a meeting with the Minister of Defence, Mr. Charalambos Petrides, in the presence of the French Ambassador Mrs. Salina Grenet-Catalano and the Chief of the National Guard.
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