“NEMESIS 2021” Exercise | Interoperability at its best – PHOTOS

Defence Redefined

Published on 03/11/2021 at 13:15

The multinational exercise “NEMESIS 2021” kicked off this morning, November 3, with the participation of eight countries and the cooperation of all state security services of the Republic of Cyprus.

A written announcement of the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) states that the exercise will take place within sea blocks 1, 2, 8, and 9 of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Republic of Cyprus (RoC).

The exercise, which runs for the 8th consecutive year, will involve a total of eight countries: Greece, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, the USA, the United Kingdom, France, and Italy.

The Minister of Energy, Natasa Pileidou, sent a message on Twitter about today’s exercise, stating, among other things, the important role of security in the implementation of the drilling program in the Cyprus EEZ.

The greeting of the Minister of Defence, Mr. Charalambos Petridis, at the multinational exercise NEMESIS 2021 was also significant, as the Minister spoke about the twofold objective of the exercise: the operational and political objectives. 

Regarding the first, the Minister stressed that the Republic of Cyprus is making every effort to continuously upgrade the emergency response procedures, such as counter-terrorism operations, search and rescue, and marine pollution within the Exclusive Economic Zone. 

Also read: Nicholas Ioannides (PhD) | Fundamental concepts of the Law of the Sea

Apart from the operational value of the exercise, the political message conveyed by the exercise is also remarkable. According to the Minister, the compass of the Republic of Cyprus constitutes the obligations deriving from International Law, the Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) as well as the high sense of responsibility towards the International community and the region.

In this context, it is important to emphasize the exploitation of hydrocarbons within the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus. The exploitation of the Cypriot Exclusive Economic Zone comes not only with benefits but also with responsibilities, which the Republic of Cyprus is committed to fulfilling, the Minister assured. 

Also read: JRCC | Rescue operation of four people with the participation of a helicopter