Cyprus, Italy discuss defence cooperation

Cyprus and Italy’s defence ministers held a meeting in Rome during which they discussed bilateral cooperation, European defence and the regional security framework.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto and his Cypriot counterpart Charalambos Petrides held bilateral talks on Wednesday.

According to the Italian Ministry of Defence, it was a long and cordial meeting – which follows the one that took place last November in the framework of the quadripartite initiative, aimed at protecting common interests in the Eastern Mediterranean – during which the two ministers reinforced their intense dialogue.

The EU partners confirmed the convergence of views on the main defence and security issues.

“I believe it is extremely important to continue the constructive dialogue between Italy and Cyprus in the field of defence,” said Crosetto.

In light of the current geostrategic context, he underlined the need to work together to ensure stability and peace in the Mediterranean region.

The two Ministers discussed bilateral cooperation, European defence and the regional security framework.

“The stability of the Mediterranean is a priority for Italy since we consider it fundamental to guarantee the security of the entire region,” Crosetto stressed.

“Our focus on the Mediterranean region is firm,” he added.

He said that this was confirmed by the national operation “Safe Mediterranean” and by the NATO arrangement of the Standing Naval Forces.

Fruitful meeting between Min @GuidoCrosetto and Cypriot colleague @PetridesCh. Italy and Cyprus share common vision in particular within the #EU. Focus on:
📌#Mediterranean security, priority for 🇮🇹 and 🇨🇾
📌bilateral collaboration
📌cooperation for #European #defence

— Ministero Difesa (@MinisteroDifesa) January 18, 2023