Visit of Dendias to Cyprus: Greece-Cyprus united front for defence cooperation and the SAFE programme
On 10 November 2025 the Greek Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, visited Nicosia where he met with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and the Cypriot Defence Minister, Vasilis Palmas.
The visit underscores an enhanced Greece-Cyprus defence partnership, and a unified stance on the EU’s SAFE programme and regional security issues.
During the meetings held at the Cypriot Ministry of Defence and the Presidential Palace, Minister Dendias and Minister Palmas discussed bilateral defence cooperation as well as Greece and Cyprus’s involvement in tri- and multi-lateral initiatives.
In particular, they focused on how to harness the upcoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union (in fewer than 50 days at the time of the visit) as a strategic platform for advancing defence-industry collaboration and regional stability.
A central part of the discussion was the EU’s SAFE programme. The ministers issued a categorical “no” to the participation of Turkey in SAFE as long as Turkey continues “illegal actions and an aggressive attitude” toward a member-state of the EU.
Dendias said it is obvious that any actor that threatens the EU cannot be part of a mechanism aimed at confronting that very aggression.
President Christodoulides emphasized the long-standing friendship and cooperation between Greece and Cyprus, and pointed to the defence and security sector as an area of heightened importance given the Turkish occupation and provocations, as well as the strategic location of the region.
He also called on Greece and Cyprus to further strengthen their defence industries as a “golden opportunity” in the context of the Cypriot EU Council Presidency.
The visit by Greece’s Defence Minister to Cyprus signals a deepening of defence cooperation and a strategic turning point for Greece-Cyprus ties within the EU security environment. With the upcoming Cypriot EU Council Presidency and a joint stance on the SAFE programme, both countries appear to be positioning themselves as key players in shaping defence policy in the Eastern Mediterranean.