Cyprus, Israel, Greece agree to boost defense cooperation
The defense ministers of Greece, Israel and Cyprus have agreed to step up military cooperation they said will keep their armed forces better prepared, help create more jobs and bolster security in a fraught region
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The defense ministers of Greece Israel and Cyprus agreed Thursday to step up military cooperation they said will keep their armed forces better prepared, help create more jobs and bolster security in a fraught region.
Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said it was agreed during talks in Nicosia to “promote large-scale industry cooperation that will bolster our defense abilities and create thousands of jobs for all three economies.”
The three countries have forged close ties amid regional tension in the Eastern Mediterranean over offshore gas exploitation rights, and are partners in a project to bring gas from fields in Israeli and potentially other nations' waters through an undersea pipeline to Europe's mainland.
Greece's Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said Greek, Israeli and Cypriot armed forces are working to operate together more effectively through joint training programs, intelligence sharing and cyber-security.
Panagiotopoulos and Cyprus’ Charalambos Petrides said the three countries are looking to expand their partnership to include other countries such as the U.S. whose presence in the eastern Mediterranean the Greek minister said “is of particular importance” for regional stability.
Greece and Cyprus are embroiled in a dispute with Turkey which has sent gas prospecting vessels into waters claimed by Greece and drilling ships into an area where Cyprus claims exclusive rights. The tension brought NATO allies Greece and Turkey close to open conflict in the summer and autumn but has since subsided.
Turkey insists that it’s fully within its rights to carry out such prospecting in those waters. It also claims to defend the rights of breakaway Turkish Cypriots to energy reserves around war-divided Cyprus.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.