Cyprus, Israel, Greece agree to boost defense cooperation

The three countries have forged close ties amid regional tension in the Eastern Mediterranean over offshore gas exploitation rights

The defense ministers of Greece, Israel and Cyprus agreed Thursday to step up military cooperation they said will keep their armed forces better prepared, help create more jobs and bolster security in a fraught region.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said it was agreed during talks in Nicosia to “promote large-scale industry cooperation that will bolster our defense abilities and create thousands of jobs for all three economies.”

The three countries have forged close ties amid regional tension in the Eastern Mediterranean over offshore gas exploitation rights, and are partners in a project to bring gas from fields in Israeli and potentially other nations’ waters through an undersea pipeline to Europe’s mainland.

See Also:

Pennsylvania judge ruled in favor of the Trump campaign on votes

Turkey issues Navtex for demilitirisation of Greek islands of Tilos and Halki

Greece’s Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos said Greek, Israeli and Cypriot armed forces are working to operate together more effectively through joint training programs, intelligence sharing and cyber-security.

Read more: AP