Cyprus Defence Minister stresses need for EU naval presence in EastMed

Cyprus Defence Minister Savvas Angelides briefed his EU counterparts on Tuesday on Turkey’s ongoing activities in the Republic of Cyprus’ EEZ, stressing the need for an EU naval presence in the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Speaking at a teleconference bringing together defence ministers of EU member states, during which ways of increasing the EU’s involvement at the operational level as well as defensive initiatives and structures in view of the Common Defence and Security Policy were discussed, Angelides referred to the enhancement of the EU’s operational commitment and noted that the Republic of Cyprus, despite its small size and the ongoing Turkish threat, always aims at increasing its contribution to EU missions and operations.

Angelides also referred to the need for the overall recognition of threats with a view to draft a Strategic Compass and adopt better choices with regard to the provisions of the EU Treaty for mutual contribution that constitute the core of the European solidarity.

The Defence Minister also participated in a meeting of the European Defence Agency Steering board which discussed the role of the Agency in developing defence capabilities to challenges.