Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias Meets with Republic of Cyprus Minister of Defence Vasilis Palmas

Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias Meets with Republic of Cyprus Minister of Defence Vasilis Palmas

September 10, 2026

Today, Thursday 10 September 2026, the Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, met with the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus, Vasilis Palmas, who was on an official visit to Greece.

At the start of the meeting, Mr. Dendias expressed his sadness at the loss of our Hellenic Air Force's two pilots, Major (HAF) Ioannis Blesias and Captain (HAF) Dimitrios Petrou, as well as his sympathy to their families. He thanked Mr. Palmas for his condolences and stressed that "In moments like this, Greece and Cyprus stand beside each other, not just as partners, but as brothers".

The two Ministers then discussed the further enhancement of the defence cooperation between Greece and Cyprus and the latest developments on the Cyprus issue, with Mr. Dendias expressing his support for the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides's efforts to resolve it.

They also discussed the security situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the broader Middle East, and Ukraine.

"Historically, Cyprus and Greece have constituted an axis of stability, earnestness, and security in the Eastern Mediterranean. This is the framework in which our discussions take place. How we can broaden our cooperations, aiming at stability and security in our broader region, with stability and security in a clear framework. Within the framework of International Law and the International Law of the Sea. Within the framework of the United Nations. Within the framework of human rights. Within the framework of peace. Within the framework of earnestness", Mr. Dendias stressed.

The Minister of National Defence briefed his Cypriot counterpart on the progress of the implementation of the "Agenda 2030", focusing on the development of innovative products and the use of advanced technologies in defence.

The two parties also examined the enhancement of the multilateral cooperation schemes the two countries are part of and discussed the cooperation between Greece and the Republic of Cyprus within the European Union, focusing in particular on the matters of cooperation within the framework of the SAFE programme and the development of the EU's defence industry.

The meeting was attended by the General Secretary of the Ministry of National Defence Antonios Ikonomou, the Deputy Chief of Hellenic National Defence General Staff, Vice Admiral Theodoros Mikropoulos HN, as representative of the Chief of Hellenic National Defence General Staff, the Chief of Cypriot National Guard General Staff, Lieutenant General Emmanouil Theodorou, the Chief of Hellenic Army General Staff, Lieutenant General Georgios Kostidis, the Chief of Hellenic Navy General Staff, Vice Admiral Dimitrios - Eleftherios Kataras HN, and the Chief of Hellenic Air Force General Staff, Lieutenant General (HAF) Dimosthenis Grigoriadis.