Strengthening defence a duty while Cyprus issue is unresolved, DefMin says

Therefore, he continued, “things are going very well in terms of the bilateral and other relations of the Republic of Cyprus.”
As long as the Cyprus issue remains unresolved and occupation troops remain in place, we have a duty and an obligation to strengthen our defensive capabilities, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas stressed on Wednesday.
He was replying to journalists’ questions on the sidelines of his visit to the Nicosia-Kyrenia-Morphou Military Recruitment Office.
Invited to say if he was satisfied with the amount of funds allocated for equipment in the state budget for 2026, Palmas replied in the affirmative and added that Cyprus participates in the EU SAFE regulation, under which “we have been granted €1.2 billion and we have the opportunity within five years to draw funds from this regulation in order to further strengthen the National Guard, without reducing the annual budget for the country’s defence.”
He also said that, due to developments in the wider region, funds to strengthen the country’s defence have been increased and “enable us to adapt to the new, modern conditions of equipment programmes concerning our country, which has unfortunately been under occupation for 51 years.”
“As long as this stalemate in the Cyprus issue resolution remains and the occupying forces remain in Cyprus, we have a duty and an obligation to strengthen our defence capabilities in order to preserve our sovereignty and territorial integrity and, at the same time, to ensure peace in our country to the greatest extent possible, because deterrence increases the chances of creating conditions for peace in Cyprus,” the Defence Minister stressed.
Noting that both President, Nikos Christodoulides’ visit to France and the visit of the President of the United Arab Emirates to Cyprus were important, and asked to comment on cooperation with these two countries in the field of defence, Palmas said that defence and security issues are at the top of the agenda at the European level and added that the discussion and priority given to defence and security issues arose from the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Regarding the President’s visit to France, he said that with France “we have excellent long-standing cooperation on issues relating to equipment and understanding on issues relating more generally to defence and cooperation at the bilateral level.”
“With the President’s visit to Paris the day before yesterday and his meeting with (French President Emmanuel) Macron, bilateral cooperation has been further strengthened by the partnership agreement we have signed,” he added.
Therefore, he continued, “things are going very well in terms of the bilateral and other relations of the Republic of Cyprus.”
Also, the Minister of Foreign Affairs said that the visit of the President of the UAE to Cyprus is “a very positive development” and it can only be beneficial “not only in terms of defence but also in terms of energy and other issues.”
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Source: CNA