24/02/2016 17:24
Cyprus and Israel strengthen their cooperation in the fields of defence and security, in a bid to tackle terrorism and asymmetric threats and ensure stability and security in the region.
The Minister of Defence of Israel Moshe Ya`alon, who is the first Israeli Defence Minister to officially visit Cyprus, had talks with his Cypriot counterpart Christophoros Fokaides, with whom he signed the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which defines the rights and obligations of each country’s military personnel during joint activities.
Speaking after the meeting, the Israeli Minister said that Israel and Cyprus are neighbours who share complex challenges but who also hold shared values and interests.
“Israel views the Republic of Cyprus as a true friend. The relationship between our defence establishments as well as between our armed forces and intelligence agencies are long-standing, productive and important. My visit here today demonstrates a strong relationship”, he said.
He added that the two countries should work together to make this relationship even stronger for the sake of both nations and the entire region.
“For this reason today we signed a SOFA agreement between our nations, yet another layer in the strategic relationship between Israel and Cyprus, alongside our strong relationship with another good friend Greece. This agreement is essential to both countries and is a fine example to our efforts to further strengthen ties”, he said.
He noted that Cyprus and Israel have close ties in many fields, economy, trade, culture, tourism and more and that there is potential for furthering these ties is tremendous.
“The state of Israel views ties with Cyprus with great importance and it is important for us to invest in this relationship. The Israeli defence establishment views its ties with the Cypriot defence establishment with great strategic importance and as the person who stands at the head of this establishment I am proud to be here today and contribute to enhancing these ties”, the Israeli Minister of Defence said.
He added that the reality in the Middle East poses great challenges to Cyprus and Israel and that both countries are part of the family of nations and serve as anchors of stability in the region.
Referring to the current situations in Syria, Iraq and other countries in the Middle East, he said that there is terrible bloodshed by wars entangling hundreds of thousand of innocent people.
“The implication of the war in Syria is not just the refugees running westward for their lives and the need to take action in light of this challenge. The implication also includes widespread infiltration by murderous, merciless terror organisations, some belonging to global jihad, partly funded by the Iranians”, according to the Minister.
This, noted Ya`alon, requires Western nations including the Republic of Cyprus and Israel to deal with attempts to carry out devastating terror attacks along the borders and within the city centres, in Israel, in Cyprus in Europe and in America.
As he said, the West to which the Republic of Cyprus and Israel belong is currently in a clash of civilisations with various countries, regimes and entities whose sole purpose is to spread fear and destruction among citizens of the free world. He also pointed out that the Western world must act with determination and resolve against this mutual enemy whose values and ways are the opposite of the objectives Cyprus and Israel aim at.
In the past year, continued Ya`alon, the Cypriot security forces operated with utmost professionalism and defeated attempts by Hezbollah and Iran to establish a terror infrastructure in Cyprus.
On his part the Cypriot Minister of Defence Christoforos Fokaides pointed out that the cooperation of the two countries is based on common values, but also on common interests and is not directed against any other country, although “it serves our National strategic aspirations”.
Above all, he added it promotes the need to effectively encounter the new security challenges in a particularly volatile neighbourhood, the new asymmetric threats, especially the rise of terrorism and the growing humanitarian crisis.
“Our two countries are jointly working to attain conditions of regional cooperation and growth for the wider region, taking into account the energy prospects that have been created in the Eastern Mediterranean”, said the Cypriot Minister.
He added that the promotion of this goal, the attraction of investments and the prospects in general for growth and prosperity of the people in the region, are safeguarded through conditions of security and stability.
“In this framework, the cooperation in the fields of security and defence with the friendly country of Israel obtains a strategic importance”, he said.
Fokaides added that they discussed issues of common concern such as the current security situation and the constantly evolving conditions in the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as issues of maritime and energy security.
“We reached the common conclusion that the more unpredictable the security challenges are today, the more imperative it is to maintain reliable partners and foreseeable policies. In this framework, it is particularly important to support those Governments in the area, that remain committed to promoting stability and security, and that work towards encountering terrorism and fundamentalism”, said the Minister.
The Republic of Cyprus, he noted, serves this goal with consistency, by supporting the countries of the region, both within the European Union and through the relations that are built with neighbouring countries and through the partnership with Greece.
“To this end, the cooperation with Israel and in specific, the deepening of our relations in the fields of security and defence, obtains a particular significance and a special strategic dimension”.
He also expressed appreciation for the fact that through the implementation of the bilateral program of military cooperation and other Agreements that have been signed, the cooperation between the two countries has advanced over the past two years, amongst other spheres, on the level of joint exercises, in the fields of armament procurement and exchange of information and in the field of search and rescue. As he said, they discussed today the need to deepen the cooperation in other fields, such as in the fields of cyber defence, within which as is well known, Israel constitutes one of the pioneer countries worldwide.
Fokaides said he had the opportunity to brief his counterpart on the latest developments concerning the Cyprus issue, as well as on the efforts that are underway by the President of the Republic, but also, on the need to promote a solution that will not be based either on anachronistic systems of guarantees or rely on guardians.
The Minister of Defence of Israel Moshe Ya`alon, who is the first Israeli Defence Minister to officially visit Cyprus, had talks with his Cypriot counterpart Christophoros Fokaides, with whom he signed the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which defines the rights and obligations of each country’s military personnel during joint activities.
Speaking after the meeting, the Israeli Minister said that Israel and Cyprus are neighbours who share complex challenges but who also hold shared values and interests.
“Israel views the Republic of Cyprus as a true friend. The relationship between our defence establishments as well as between our armed forces and intelligence agencies are long-standing, productive and important. My visit here today demonstrates a strong relationship”, he said.
He added that the two countries should work together to make this relationship even stronger for the sake of both nations and the entire region.
“For this reason today we signed a SOFA agreement between our nations, yet another layer in the strategic relationship between Israel and Cyprus, alongside our strong relationship with another good friend Greece. This agreement is essential to both countries and is a fine example to our efforts to further strengthen ties”, he said.
He noted that Cyprus and Israel have close ties in many fields, economy, trade, culture, tourism and more and that there is potential for furthering these ties is tremendous.
“The state of Israel views ties with Cyprus with great importance and it is important for us to invest in this relationship. The Israeli defence establishment views its ties with the Cypriot defence establishment with great strategic importance and as the person who stands at the head of this establishment I am proud to be here today and contribute to enhancing these ties”, the Israeli Minister of Defence said.
He added that the reality in the Middle East poses great challenges to Cyprus and Israel and that both countries are part of the family of nations and serve as anchors of stability in the region.
Referring to the current situations in Syria, Iraq and other countries in the Middle East, he said that there is terrible bloodshed by wars entangling hundreds of thousand of innocent people.
“The implication of the war in Syria is not just the refugees running westward for their lives and the need to take action in light of this challenge. The implication also includes widespread infiltration by murderous, merciless terror organisations, some belonging to global jihad, partly funded by the Iranians”, according to the Minister.
This, noted Ya`alon, requires Western nations including the Republic of Cyprus and Israel to deal with attempts to carry out devastating terror attacks along the borders and within the city centres, in Israel, in Cyprus in Europe and in America.
As he said, the West to which the Republic of Cyprus and Israel belong is currently in a clash of civilisations with various countries, regimes and entities whose sole purpose is to spread fear and destruction among citizens of the free world. He also pointed out that the Western world must act with determination and resolve against this mutual enemy whose values and ways are the opposite of the objectives Cyprus and Israel aim at.
In the past year, continued Ya`alon, the Cypriot security forces operated with utmost professionalism and defeated attempts by Hezbollah and Iran to establish a terror infrastructure in Cyprus.
On his part the Cypriot Minister of Defence Christoforos Fokaides pointed out that the cooperation of the two countries is based on common values, but also on common interests and is not directed against any other country, although “it serves our National strategic aspirations”.
Above all, he added it promotes the need to effectively encounter the new security challenges in a particularly volatile neighbourhood, the new asymmetric threats, especially the rise of terrorism and the growing humanitarian crisis.
“Our two countries are jointly working to attain conditions of regional cooperation and growth for the wider region, taking into account the energy prospects that have been created in the Eastern Mediterranean”, said the Cypriot Minister.
He added that the promotion of this goal, the attraction of investments and the prospects in general for growth and prosperity of the people in the region, are safeguarded through conditions of security and stability.
“In this framework, the cooperation in the fields of security and defence with the friendly country of Israel obtains a strategic importance”, he said.
Fokaides added that they discussed issues of common concern such as the current security situation and the constantly evolving conditions in the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as issues of maritime and energy security.
“We reached the common conclusion that the more unpredictable the security challenges are today, the more imperative it is to maintain reliable partners and foreseeable policies. In this framework, it is particularly important to support those Governments in the area, that remain committed to promoting stability and security, and that work towards encountering terrorism and fundamentalism”, said the Minister.
The Republic of Cyprus, he noted, serves this goal with consistency, by supporting the countries of the region, both within the European Union and through the relations that are built with neighbouring countries and through the partnership with Greece.
“To this end, the cooperation with Israel and in specific, the deepening of our relations in the fields of security and defence, obtains a particular significance and a special strategic dimension”.
He also expressed appreciation for the fact that through the implementation of the bilateral program of military cooperation and other Agreements that have been signed, the cooperation between the two countries has advanced over the past two years, amongst other spheres, on the level of joint exercises, in the fields of armament procurement and exchange of information and in the field of search and rescue. As he said, they discussed today the need to deepen the cooperation in other fields, such as in the fields of cyber defence, within which as is well known, Israel constitutes one of the pioneer countries worldwide.
Fokaides said he had the opportunity to brief his counterpart on the latest developments concerning the Cyprus issue, as well as on the efforts that are underway by the President of the Republic, but also, on the need to promote a solution that will not be based either on anachronistic systems of guarantees or rely on guardians.
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