“Greece is not at all indifferent to threats against Cyprus, wherever they come from, whether from states or from terrorist organizations claiming a role in international affairs with the help of illegal missile arsenals,” the Minister of National Defense made clear. Nikos Dendias, in his statements after meeting with his Cypriot counterpart, Vassilis Palmas, in Nicosia.
At the same time, he recalled the deep commitment of Greece and Cyprus “to the Charter of the United Nations, to international law, to the international law of the sea and to the absolute condemnation of the use of force or the threat of the use of force” and described as unacceptable “a European capital, the capital of a member country of the European Union, a member country of the United Nations, to remain divided for half a century, to have green lines or any other coloured lines. And of course it is not permissible to violate international law and the Charter of the United Nations for 50 years”, he added.
Dendias expressed “Greece’s timeless, absolute and non-negotiable support for achieving a fair and sustainable solution to the Cypriotas described in the United Nations Security Council resolutions for a bizonal and bicommunal Federation always compatible with the European acquis.
The Ministers of National Defence of both countries have shown themselves to be in favour of creating a strong defence arm in the EU, an arm capable “in principle of defending the single European space, but also everything that this space expresses, Democracy, Freedom, International Law, the European Acquis, the Protection of Human Rights”, as Mr Dendias said.
In this context, he reiterated Greece’s invitation to the Republic of Cyprus to participate in the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation, which “with only a few months of existence, has already taken important steps towards creating a defence innovation ecosystem”, informing at the same time the Cypriot counterpart of the “Agenda 2030”, “the biggest reform, as the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr Mitsotakis, said, of the Greek Armed Forces that has ever taken place and I have said before that when it is completed, Hellenism will have the most powerful Armed Forces in its long history. And it is with great pleasure that we share with Cyprus the lessons learned from these reforms”, he added.
Greece’s readiness for humanitarian aid in Gaza
Finally, he reiterated Greece’s readiness “to assist the ships of the Greek Fleet in transporting food and essential goods to Gaza in order to relieve the Palestinian people” in the context of the “AMALTHEA” plan “which highlights the leading role that can be played by the Republic of Cyprus in responding to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
And that is what the Republic of Cyprus is doing. It is doing what is necessary to create a maritime humanitarian corridor,” he added.
Mr Dendias and Mr Palmas discussed the deepening of bilateral defence relations between Greece and Cyprus and exchanged views on the prevailing situation in the Middle East, in the Red Sea. “As pillars of stability for both countries and security, we are working together to de-escalate tensions in the entire region. Both countries are participating in “ASPIDES”, the largest defensive naval operation the European Union has ever conducted. Thus, both countries contribute to the effort to ensure freedom of navigation,” Mr Dendias said in this regard.
For the black anniversary of the Hundred coup
The Minister of National Defence referred to “today’s Black Anniversary. Today, he said, marks fifty years since 15 July 1974, the date of the junta coup in Cyprus, an ethnic coup that opened the floodgates to the lurking invader. I express, he added, my deepest respect and my patriotic gratitude to the Cypriot and Hellenic fighters of the Republic and the unequal confrontation in 1974 against the invasion. They faced vastly superior military forces under the weight of the criminal fratricidal coup.
We remember them with respect and honor their contribution over time. And of course, we condemn in the most absolute terms the Turkish Cypriot shame parties and the unholy illegal presence of the Turkish Army of Occupation in Cyprus for half a century.
The unity of Hellenism is a necessary condition for Greek survival. The division, historically known to us Greeks, always haunts us, is a condition capable and sufficient of national calamity and collapse. History has proven both of the above. And today’s anniversary reminds us of this in the most tragic way,” he concluded.