Defence Ministers of Cyprus and Greece to discuss Turkish provocations on Friday

The Ministers of Defence of Cyprus and Greece, Savvas Angelides and Nikos Panagiotopoulos, will discuss about the Turkish provocations in Cyprus` Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and territorial waters during the official talks they will have on Friday in Nicosia. Panagiotopoulos will also represent the Greek government at the events organized on the occasion of the anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, that took place on July 20, 1974.

Angelides has told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that during their talks Panagiotopoulos will be briefed on the cooperation between the two Ministries, as well as between the National Guard General Staff and the Hellenic National Defence General Staff.

He also noted that even though the Intergovernmental Defence Council will not convene during Panagiotopoulos` visit, they will touch upon issues discussed in the framework of the Council, which met in May.

Moreover, Angelides said that Panagiotopoulos will be briefed on the Turkish provocations in Cyprus` EEZ and territorial waters and about the actions undertaken by the government of Cyprus, at the political level, to address these provocations. "We will exchange views and we will listen to the positions of the new Greek government on this," Angelides added.

Panagiotopoulos will officially be welcomed at the Defence Ministry on Friday afternoon.

Later on delegations of the two Ministries will participate in expanded deliberations, while the two Ministers will also have a private meeting.

Turkey issued in May a navigational telex, announcing its intention to start drilling off Cyprus until September 3. Since May 4, the Turkish drill ship “Fatih” is anchored in an area that falls within the EEZ and continental shelf of the Republic of Cyprus.

A second Turkish drill ship, “Yavuz”, arrived off the island’s northeastern coast last week.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The last round of negotiations, in the summer of 2017, at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.