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03-11-2022 14:42 |
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Address
of the Minister of Defence, Mr Charalambos Petrides, at Nemesis Exercise 2022
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It is with great pleasure that
I welcome all of you today at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre for this
year's Multinational Exercise NEMESIS. This important Multinational Exercise has become one of our flagship activities with a true regional outlook. NEMESIS is now in its ninth consecutive year, since its inception back in 2013, and has become an integral part of our annual Exercise program with key partners, stakeholders, government agencies, the private sector and equally importantly the oil and gas industry. We are making every effort to
continuously improve and upgrade the procedures for addressing any emergency
situation such as terrorist attack, Search and Rescue, marine pollution
within Cyprus' Exclusive Economic Zone. As we are bound by following
international law and UNCLOS, our actions and partnerships aim to promote a
safe and secure Eastern Mediterranean for delivering growth and prosperity to
all countries in the region. To this end, I would like to
take this opportunity to salute the recent agreement reached between Israel
and Lebanon for their maritime border, which will hopefully unleash new
dynamic and potential for the East Med oil and gas prospects. The success of this
multinational and multiagency exercise is based on the high level of
cooperation and coordination amongst all the participants. It is, truly, a
comprehensive and holistic exercise, which includes the private sector and
the oil and gas industry in order to integrate their needs. NEMESIS 2022, like every
large-scale exercise, constitutes a great opportunity to extract valuable
lessons that will enhance our capabilities, capacities and update our
procedures. I have no doubt that all
participants will grasp this opportunity to take their professionalism one
step further and draw important lessons. Oil and gas exploitation
activities in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus provide benefits but also
responsibilities. I would like to assure you that the Republic of Cyprus is
committed to adhere to them. In doing so, initiatives like
the annual exercise NEMESIS, actively pursue the maximization of cooperation
and coordination of all parties involved, from the public and the private
sector, based on the international law and international best practices. At this point, allow me to
express my sincere gratitude to the countries that participate with assets
and personnel, namely Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, the United
Kingdom and the United States of America. We hope that next year, at
NEMESIS tenth anniversary, more countries will be joining us! Your longstanding support is an
honour and tribute to our bilateral defence cooperation with each country
that participates in the exercise. It is also very important, for projecting
effective regional cooperation for the stability and security of the region
as a whole. I wish all participants a
successful, fruitful and, above all, safe exercise. (EP/SCH) |
The multinational exercise "Nemesis 2022" is taking place on Thursday, 3 November with the participation of frigates and helicopters from eight countries.
