Filenews 30 January 2026
The Minister of Defence, Vassilis Palmas, participated yesterday, Wednesday, at the Annual Conference of the European Defence Agency, in Brussels, as a keynote speaker, referring to the contribution of the Republic of Cyprus, in the framework of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, to the promotion of the various EU initiatives in the field of defence, while reflecting the priorities of the Presidency for this semester.
A statement from the Ministry of Defense states that Mr. Palmas mentioned as the main priorities of the Cyprus Presidency the continuation of support to Ukraine, the strengthening of maritime security and the protection of critical maritime and underwater infrastructure, the strengthening of the European Defense Industry, military mobility, as well as the strengthening of the European Union's capacity to undertake humanitarian operations.
He pointed out that Europe is in a period of uncertainty and increased security challenges and stressed the need to move from design to implementation, with a focus on simplifying procedures and working together to develop common defence capabilities.
The Minister also highlighted the timeless value of the work of the European Defence Agency and reiterated Cyprus' firm support for the work of the Agency. At the same time, he stressed the central role of the Agency in strengthening European cooperation for the implementation of the strategic directions of the European Council.
Concluding his speech, Mr. Palmas underlined that the Cyprus Presidency will take initiatives to strengthen and highlight the role of the European Defence Agency, as well as to promote a more coherent European defence architecture, underlining the fact that cooperation is a necessity for the security of Europe and its citizens.
The conference was addressed by the High Representative/Vice-President and Head of the Agency Kaja Kallas, the Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius and the Executive Director of the European Defence Agency André Denk.
It was attended by Defence Ministers, as well as other distinguished speakers and European officials, who participated in round table discussions in line with its agenda.
