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Dear Marjan,
Many thanks for accepting my
invitation to pay a visit to Cyprus.
It is a distinct honour to
welcome you as well as the Slovenian Chief of Defence and your delegation.
At the outset, let me state
that this visit builds upon the momentum for enhancing our bilateral
relations and cooperation. Last year the President of the Republic of
Slovenia visited our country reaffirming our long standing and traditional
bond of friendship, cooperation and people to people ties.
Cyprus and Slovenia are
likeminded and, in many ways, similar countries. We proudly share our joined
EU accession in 2004 and we are also part of the EU MED 9 Group.
Today we discussed a wide array
of issues. We had a very constructive, forward-looking exchange of views on a
number of issues of mutual interest ranging from our bilateral defence
cooperation to pertinent European and regional security issues.
A key deliverable is of course
the signing of a Bilateral Agreement of Defence cooperation. This agreement
will pave the way for fostering a close defence and military cooperation
between our Ministries and Armed Forces. It comes at a time when European
cooperation in the area of defence and security is more evident and necessary
for combatting emerging threats and challenges.
Defence is an important pillar
for any country’s national security. Especially nowadays, in an era of
geopolitical turmoil and upheaval, following Russian invasion to Ukraine,
there is a strong shift in investing more in Defence.
Our two countries, are devoted
to our shared and common European path of cooperation, security and
prosperity.
We also had the chance to
discuss the various European defence initiatives, especially following the
adoption of the Strategic Compass and ways for harnessing opportunities for
cooperation through PESCO and EDF projects.
On the Cyprus issue, I want to
reiterate our gratitude for Slovenia’s support, based on positions of
principle in the EU and other international fora. I had the chance to inform
my counterpart about the current security situation in Cyprus.
More specifically, I also had
the change to inform my dear colleague and his team, about the security
situation in Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkey’s hybrid warfare
activities, notably through the instrumentalisation of illegal migration on
the island and the region.
Over the past two years, Turkey
is pursuing a revisionist and militarized foreign policy, combined with a
hostile and aggressive rhetoric of Turkish officials which threatens
stability and security in Cyprus and in the region in general.
The Republic of Cyprus will
continue its extrovert defence policy of building closer bilateral and
multilateral partnerships on the basis of the respect of International Law
and the UNs convention of the Law of the Sea.
In closing, I want to once more
express my sincere thanks to Minister Šarec for his visit and our enriching
exchange of views.
(ΜΧ/IK)
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