The Minister of Defense of the Republic of Cyprus, Vassilis Palmas, and the Deputy Minister of National Defense of Greece, Yiannis Kefalogiannis, participated in the Informal Meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union, made up of Defense Ministers, which took place in Brussels on August 30, 2024.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports that, during the first part of the meeting, the Ministers were briefed on the current situation and discussed ways of short-term and long-term military support for Ukraine. The progress of work on the use of windfalls from frozen Russian assets was also discussed, and the various initiatives for the delivery of ammunition and the training of the Ukrainian Forces were taken stock of.

The situation in the Red Sea and the Middle East was then analyzed, and the Union’s commitments in the area of ​​the Common Defense and Security Policy, the ASPIDES operation, and the EU Rapid Deployment Capacity were discussed.

This was followed by an update on the strategic review of the EU’s Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) and the ongoing strategic review process of the institution. The final topic of the second section was on defense preparedness and financing the development of the EU defense industry.

Finally, the third thematic section discussed the European Union Satellite Center (EU SATCEN). First taking stock of SATCEN’s work in recent years, ministers then discussed ways in which the Center can better support the security and defense of the EU and its Member States.

As reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy and Security Policy, Mr. Josep Borrell, informed the members of the Council about the latest developments in the war in Ukraine, while the Minister of Defense of Ukraine participated in the start of the work via teleconference, Mr. Rustem Umerov.

In the second meeting, Assistant G.G. NATO Mr. Angus Lapsley, the President of the Subcommittee on Security and Defense of the European Parliament Mrs. Marie Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, and the Deputy G.G. UN (responsible for peace operations) Mr. Jean Pierre Lacroix.

On the sidelines of the meeting, the Minister of Defense of Cyprus and the Deputy Minister of Defense of Greece had a private meeting.

The Deputy Minister of National Defense referred to Greece’s support to Ukraine to date, our country’s contribution to Operation “ASPIDES,” and the coordination of Prime Minister Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis with the European partners and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman for the safe towing of the MV “Sounion” tanker, as well as the telephone communication between the Minister of National Defense Mr. Nikos Dendias and Mr. Josep Borrell to prevent an environmental disaster.

Mr. Kefalogiannis emphasized the need to strengthen the defense industry and the strengthening of European strategic autonomy, while he mentioned that the success of the project requires the access of the European defense industry – including small and medium enterprises – to sufficient public and private sources of financing. Finally, he recalled that at the previous Council in March, Greece proposed the issuance of a bond and called again on the member states to support it.

Source: Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Finance

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