There is a huge gap between the transition from a slogan to the effort to implement the idea, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos said in relation to a possible accession of Cyprus to NATO, noting that he considers the public debate on the outcome and the political aspect “premature”. We are working, he said, to increase our compatibility with NATO member states.
Kombos, the keynote speaker on Friday evening at an event organised by the CUT and the Cyprus Association of Political Scientists and Public Administration on “Cyprus Democracy. A Bridge of Stability in the Eastern Mediterranean Region”, was invited to comment on discussions about the possibility of Cyprus joining NATO.
Specifically, in relation to the effort to strengthen the country’s defence capabilities, he explained that, with the situation that has developed with the war in Ukraine and the crisis in the Middle East, there are “some very serious problems” with the two main arms suppliers of the Republic of Cyprus’, namely Russia and Israel. “So you have to move in complementary directions so that you don’t lose your deterrent capability,” he explained.
In addition, he continued, “there is now this relationship with the US and we hope that some benefits will be derived, in terms of armaments, and there is the issue of compatibility in terms of training.” As he explained, military exercises are taking place with many countries and “what has been identified as a gap is the divergence in terms of personnel training and this is something we can work on, in cooperation with the US, in the context of the strategic dialogue and we hope that it will continue and deepen.”
He also referred to the need to upgrade infrastructure in the context of serving third countries in the region, citing as an example the population evacuations using infrastructure “that has not been built necessarily with a view to serving such numbers, from such countries and with the equipment they carry.”
On a practical level, he noted, “we are working to increase our compatibility with NATO member states, and NATO members include Greece and France, countries with which there is traditional cooperation,” adding that “the more you deepen in these three areas, the more you strengthen your national defense capability, and I don’t think there is anyone who disagrees with that.”
( Source: CNA)
