President Nikos Christodoulides met EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius in Athens on Tuesday morning on the sidelines of the DEFEA defence conference, with talks centring on strengthening the EU’s mutual assistance clause under Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union.
Christodoulides told the Commissioner that Cyprus was delivering results during its EU Council Presidency. “We are working hard during our Presidency and we have already achieved a positive outcome on defence and security,” he said. He added that Article 42.7, which he described as an important tool for the EU, had been specifically raised by the President of the European Commission during her discussions with him, including the role of the EU Defence Commissioner.
On the defence industry, Christodoulides said he believed in the prospects of the Cypriot defence sector. “I believe in the potential of the Cypriot defence industry, which is very promising, and I am pleased to see many significant investments in Cyprus in the field of defence and security from countries such as India, Israel and others,” he said.
Kubilius praised the work being carried out by the Cypriot Presidency of the EU Council and the significant deliverables being achieved, according to the readout.
The two also discussed the upgrade of the Andreas Papandreou Air Base in Paphos and the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base in Mari for use by European and other countries, Cyprus’s participation in the SAFE funding instrument through which it will draw €1.18 billion, and the Cypriot defence industry.
Base upgrades
The meeting touched on upgrades already in the pipeline for both bases. Works at Andreas Papandreou and Evangelos Florakis are set to begin in spring 2027 and run until 2030, with the United States involved in the air base upgrade and France in the naval base works, philenews has reported.
At Andreas Papandreou, the runway is to be extended to accommodate larger aircraft including transport planes, with works also planned on communications systems and fuel storage. On completion, the base is expected to serve allied needs and function as a hub for large-scale evacuation operations.
The Evangelos Florakis naval base faces more substantial works, including dredging the harbour from its current depth of no more than seven metres to beyond 12 metres to accommodate larger vessels including frigates and submarines. The marina is also being expanded alongside broader modernisation works across the base.
Both bases are expected to receive upgraded anti-drone systems. Drones have emerged as the main threat to military bases and airports, as demonstrated in Cyprus and across Europe in recent years.
Read more:
