Filenews 18 September 2021
With the dynamic participation of Cyprus, the multinational exercise "Bright Star 2021", which took place in Egypt from 2 to 17 September and in which the Armed Forces of the USA, Greece, the United Kingdom, Pakistan, Jordan and Saudi Arabia also participated in Egypt. They also participated with observers, Sudan, Morocco, Italy, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Tunisia, Spain, Kuwait, Nigeria, Tanzania and Kenya.
It should be noted that during Bright Star's Distinguished Visitors' Day 2021, the Egyptian Minister of Defence Mohamed Zaki conveyed the greetings of the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi to all participating countries, where Cyprus was represented by the Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Democritus Zervakis.
Mr. Zervakis had contacts with his counterparts of Egypt and Jordan, Lieutenant General Mohamed Farid Hegazy and Major General Yousef Huneiti, respectively, as well as with the Minister of Defence of Egypt, General Mohamed Zaki, to whom, among other things, he conveyed the greeting of the Minister of Defence, Mr. Charalambos Petrides. Also, Lieutenant General Zervakis had a private meeting with the Chief of the Air Force of the Egyptian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Mohamed Abbas Helmy and the Chief of the Saudi Arabian Land Forces, Lieutenant General Fahd Al-Mutair, while he also met with the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Egypt, Homer Mavrommatis.
The meetings took place in a very cordial atmosphere, reflecting the excellent level of relations between the Armed Forces of Cyprus and the Arab Republic of Egypt and more widely, while the excellent performance and professionalism shown by the National Guard personnel participating in the exercise, through which the ties of the Armed Forces were strengthened and the military cooperation between the participating countries was upgraded, was recorded.
In the exercise, which aimed at realistic training in an environment of multiple threats, the National Guard participated with a total number of 70 people, namely, the "IOANNIDIS" PATH, 2 Special Operations Teams of the Commando Commando Command, 1 Special Operations Team of the Underwater Disaster Unit and a number of Observer and Liaison Officers from Artillery, Armoured and Navy Units respectively. This personnel participated in the design and implementation of the objects of operations of the Army's manoeuvering forces, special operations, aeronautical operations and the operation of the International Joint Staff.
As it was stressed, these exercises contribute significantly to the enhancement of the operational capabilities of the participating states and confirm the excellent relationship and the high level of military cooperation that has been developed between the National Guard and the Armed Forces of these countries. Moreover, they reflect the wide web of cooperation in which the Republic of Cyprus participates, actively contributing to the common goal of ensuring security and stability in the wider region of Ann. Mediterranean.
CNA
