The Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias Visits Cyprus and is Received by the President of the Republic of Cyprus N. Christodoulidis and Meets with His Counterpart V. Palmas

The Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias Visits Cyprus and is Received by the President of the Republic of Cyprus N. Christodoulidis and Meets with His Counterpart V. Palmas

November 10, 2025

The Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias visited Cyprus, on Monday, 10 November 2025, where he was received by the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulidis and had a meeting with his counterpart Vasilis Palmas, in the context of the continuous close coordination between the two states in the fields of Defence and Security.

The first stop of Mr Dendias' visit was the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus, where, after the reception ceremony and the sounding of the National Anthem, a private meeting initially took place between the two Ministers and afterwards discussions followed between the two delegations.

The two Ministers exchanged views on matters concerning the bilateral defence cooperation, as well as the trilateral and multilateral cooperations in which the two countries participate.

Also, in the light of the EU Council's Presidency assumption by the Republic of Cyprus, ways were discussed through which Greece and Cyprus can contribute to the achievement of stability, understanding and security in the wider region.

Regarding the SAFE programme and following the recent incident in Denia, Mr Palmas and Mr Dendias restated their firm position that any discussion for Turkey's participation in the programme cannot proceed, whilst the illegal actions and its aggressive stance continue against a member-state of the EU.

The meeting was attended by the Chief/National Guard General Staff Lieutenant General Emmanouil Theodorou, the General Director of the Ministry of Defence of Cyprus Anna Aristotelous, the Greek Ambassador in Nicosia Ioannis Papameletiou, members of the Defence Ministry of the Republic of Cyprus, as well as of the National Guard General Staff.

In the statements to the Press, the Minister of National Defence pointed out:

"I, too, would like to express my happiness to be here again, in Nicosia. I would like to thank my counterpart, Minister of Defence Vasilis Palmas, because he always welcomes me cordially. I would also like to extend my gratitude to President Nikos Christodoulidis, because he will receive me soon after.

I would like to say that for us, it is an opportunity, first, to exchange views on a rapidly transforming, but extremely complex geopolitical situation, especially in the region of the Eastern Mediterranean. But it was also an opportunity to discuss and investigate more levels and more capabilities of cooperation between the Republic of Cyprus and Greece, focusing on the SAFE regulation, which has a tight timetable. You understand that this regulation provides an opportunity, both for the Republic of Cyprus and for Greece, to deepen our cooperation.

Again, it is a great pleasure to be in Nicosia, a great pleasure to communicate once more with the Cypriot Hellenism".

Answering also to a reporter's question on the SAFE issue and whether "there is already a common line for Greece and Cyprus to a potential accession of Turkey in the programme and if pressure is going to be exercised or actions have been taken so that other EU states exercise veto to Turkey's potential accession to the programme, due to its violations", Mr Dendias pointed out:

"Allow me to say it here as well, I say it in Athens too, that I and Vasilis (Palmas) are perhaps two of the few people in the European continent who have sat and read the SAFE regulation; an extremely complex regulation, written in the weird language of the Brussels bureaucracy, so that everyone can understand whatever they think and express whatever they decide.

In this context, however, there are value-based principles. These value-based principles ought to be clear. There is a clear commitment of the European Committee regarding the way the contracts between the EU and third countries will be presented for discussion. The European Committee itself, through a direct statement, has confirmed that these proposals will be
presented to pass unanimously. With a common understanding of all States.

This is self-evident. Why is it self-evident? Because if someone threatens the EU itself, it is obvious that they cannot participate in the mechanism of dealing with this exact aggressiveness.

So, in this context, we expect that all European countries - I repeat all European countries - side with the self-evident perception of protecting the European space, but not only the European space geographically speaking, but also the European values, the European Democracy, the European approach in protecting human rights.

Thank you".

Next, the Minister of National Defence went to the Presidential Palace of Nicosia, where he was received by the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulidis.

Responding to the address of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Dendias stated:

"Mr President, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. You always show the courtesy of receiving me, every time I come to Cyprus. For me, it is a huge opportunity, on one hand, to be able to perceive the various elements regarding the complexity of the situation. In fact, the election in the occupied part, of the leader of the Turkish-Cypriot community may constitute a change and it would be very interesting to hear how you perceive it from the Cypriot side.

Of course, in the context of exercising my duties, I had the opportunity to speak with my counterpart, Vasilis Palmas, with whom I have a cordial relationship, on how we can deepen our cooperation in the defence field, exactly as you have said on matters of the defence industry and the ecosystem of Greece and Cyprus, Cyprus and Greece. The Cypriot Presidency is a huge opportunity for us. Therefore, we are looking forward to this, we are looking forward to deepening the cooperation.

Again, I thank you deeply for the courtesy of receiving me and listening to me".