EU defence initiatives should fully align with the defence interests of all member states and exclude European funding to states which act contrary to the EU’s strategic interests and are not reliable but merely opportunistic partners, Foreign Affairs Minister Constantinos Kombos said on Monday.
Kombos, who was addressing the High-Level Course of the European Security and Defence College (ESDC), in Larnaca, hosted by the Academy of Security and Defence of the Ministry of Defence of Cyprus, in collaboration with the National Defence Academy of Austria, described it as “another example of cooperation and synergy” and noted that “furthering this considerable effort is, and will remain, a priority for the Republic of Cyprus.”
He also referred to Cyprus’ humanitarian aid initiative “Amaltheia” noting that “up until now, we had the opportunity to sent more than 20,000 tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Gaza.” Speaking of Cyprus’ role in safely evacuating citizens from zones in crisis he said that “thousands of third country nationals have been evacuated from zones of danger through Cyprus. More recently, in relation to Lebanon more than 4,000 citizens of third countries.”
In his opening remarks Kombos explained that “there are strategic reasons for expanding our defence and crisis management capacities.” Since March 2023, he said, “we had to respond and organise, in cooperation with other regional and international partner countries, three Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations, for third country nationals from Sudan, Israel and Lebanon.”
“Cyprus has been active in providing to the international community an option that was not prior to that on the table in relation to the facilitation of humanitarian aid reaching Gaza. An international coalition was formed, which supported the maritime corridor. A coalition that included countries like USA, UK, UAE, Qatar and others,” the Foreign Affairs Minister said.
The aim of this initiative, he added, “was to supplement existing routes because the level of the needs and the dire situation, were such that anything that could go into Gaza was going to be useful.”
“This project is an example of synergies, of practical diplomatic cooperation, and it demonstrates Cyprus’ role in contributing in a constructive way as a humanitarian actor in a turbulent region of the world,” he stressed.
Behind the results, behind the initiatives, he continued, “there are challenges and, of course, the hard work that had to be put in them.” He gave the examples of “the constant operational updating of our level of preparedness, the systems of early warning, information sharing, logistics, synergies between services and agencies of Cyprus and with other states, prioritizing our resources and our capability, and real time decision making so as to handle all these crises.”
Referring to the EU’s efforts to enhance investments and joint procurement with the aim to establish a Defence Union, Kombos said that the illegal war of aggression of Russia against Ukraine “has highlighted the fragmented nature of the European Defence Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB). It has underlined the need for cooperation, economies of scale, joint procurement, interoperability, and the development of joint operational capabilities.”
In this context, he noted, Cyprus “welcomes the European Commission’s initiatives to establish the European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) and the European Defence Industry Programme (EDIP), which will be the cornerstone of the new regulatory framework.”
The European industrial base should be able to deliver defence products swiftly and at scale to the EU Member States, he said, emphasising “the importance of providing incentives and creating opportunities for small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as reducing dependencies on third-party suppliers.” “The strategic autonomy of the European Union is something that’s extremely important,” he stressed.
Towards this end, Kombos pointed out, “we stress the need to improve the defence industry’s access to public and private funding.” Moreover, he said, the European Investment Bank’s (EIB) lending policy, especially following the revised definition of dual-use products, is a significant step in the right direction.
With regard to cooperation with third states, the Union needs to promote its values and interests, the Foreign Affair Minister said, adding that Cyprus’ position has been crystal clear: “EU defence initiatives should fully align with the defence interests of all Member States and exclude European funding to states which act contrary to the EU’s strategic interests and are not reliable but merely opportunistic partners.”
On her part, the Austrian Ambassador in Nicosia, Dr. Susanne Bachfischer said that “more and more, our freedom and our way of living are coming under attack – be it the right to self-determination, freedom of speech, or the fundamental freedom to live in peace and security. A society however can only develop positively, if it is free from fear.”
“In times marked by the ongoing unprovoked war of aggression by Russia against Ukraine, growing instability in the Middle East and beyond, and uncertainty as to whether partners who have stood with us for decades can continue to be relied upon, we must not remain indifferent. Instead, we need to actively defend our fundamental democratic values,” she noted.
Together with our partners, Bachfischer said,”we must make ourselves capable of dealing rapidly and effectively with the widespread geopolitical tensions and multiple crisis management challenges, which are constantly evolving.”
Referring to the High-Level Course – Module 2, the Austrian Ambassador said that these high-level courses are only one part of an ever-increasing close collaboration between the Cyprus Security and Defence Academy and the Austrian National Defence Academy Vienna – an important contribution of the two countries to reinforce their strategic autonomy in a global security environment that is growing ever more complex and uncertain.
Referring to Austria’s bilateral cooperation with Cyprus in this field, she said that at the end of May 2025 – for the third time – the Defence Academies of Austria and Cyprus will jointly organise an orientation course here in Larnaca, which is planned to focus on the Middle East and North Africa also with participants of these regions.
This part of our collaboration started in May 2022 with a first orientation course, followed by a second course in May 2023, she said, adding that around 30 participants were briefed each year on the basics, working methods and challenges of the European Union.
That same year, she noted, also saw the launch of a new European Security and Geo-Economics Course, another collaboration between the Cyprus and the Austrian Defence Academies together with Egmont, the Royal Institute for International Relations in Belgium, focusing on the interaction between European security and geoeconomics.
“After the success of this first pilot course in Brussel 2023 and its inclusion in the European Security and Defence College ESDC course catalog, it was decided to hold the geoeconomics course regularly in rotation between the three organising nations. So after the second edition of this geoeconomics course in October of this year in Vienna, it will be Larnaca’s turn in October 2025,” she said.
Also read: Kombos: We must seize current momentum on Cyprus issue
Source: CNA/FZ/EPH/AGK
