The defence ministers of South Cyprus and Greece, Christoforos Fokaides and Demetris Avramopoulos respectively signing the Memorandum
Cyprus and Greece signed Wednesday a joint Memorandum of Crisis Management which provides for the strengthening of the cooperation between the two states in the field of defence.
The Memorandum was signed by the Minister of Defence Christoforos Fokaides and the Minister of National Defence of Greece Demetris Avramopoulos, who paid Cyprus a visit on the occasion of the Republic`s Independence Day.
In statements after the meeting, Fokaides said that the Memorandum was signed with the aim to strengthen the two countries’ defence cooperation for the safeguarding of their territorial integrity and the protection of their sovereignty.
The Memorandum, he went on to say, provides for the exchange of information, the coordination of the actions of the crisis management services and measures for joint actions.
Fokaides said that the Memorandum is an additional tool for the deepening of the close cooperation which exists between the two countries in the areas of defence and security.
Cyprus and Greece, the Cypriot Minister stressed, are countries of stability, security and democracy in the wider region and have an extremely important and upgraded role to play for regional security.
In his statements, the Greek Minister of National Defense said that the agreement signed today does not have any aggressive purposes.
“On the contrary, it contributes to the creation of a safety environment”, he said, noting that the defence systems of Greece and Cyprus, apart from the purpose of protecting and ensuring the integrity and independence of Greece and Cyprus, respectively, can serve other common European purposes.
Referring to the meeting he had earlier with President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades, Avramopoulos said that they spoke about the Cyprus problem and the developments in the region “which strengthens the geostrategic and geopolitical role of Cyprus”.
He also said that Cyprus` defence system is modern and efficient and is ready to respond to any challenge.
Küfi Seydali
Comment by Soothsayer
This is another nail in the coffin for reuniting Cyprus. Under the 1960 constution, ratified on the 16th August, neither party (Greek nor Turk) can enter into a treaty with any third party without the agreement of the other. This is clearly an acknowledgement by the Greek Republic of Cyprus that the Turks are a seperate entity. It’s about time that they realised this.
Despite his nationalistic rhetoric, Anastisiades is getting the Greek Cypriots (GC) ready for the inevitable. Not before time.
What is really strange though is that GC’s choose to hang onto the coat tails of a country (Greece) which has brought them death, destruction and bankruptcy. A very curious, masochistic and very peculiar GC psyche.