Russian-made military helicopters of the Cypriot air force fly by a Cyprus flag during a military parade marking 57th anniversary of independence, in Nicosia, in the divided island of Cyprus, October 1, 2017. (AP/Petros Karadjias)
NICOSIA, Cyprus — Greece’s defense minister says plans are being drawn up for joint air force drills with Cyprus, Israel, Egypt and European countries as part of efforts to bolster stability in the eastern Mediterranean.
Panos Kammenos’ remarks Sunday came after a military parade in the Cypriot capital to commemorate the 57th anniversary of the ethnically divided island’s independence.
The parade included the overflight of a pair of Greek Air Force F-16 jets, the first showing of the Greek warplanes at the event in 16 years.
The island’s Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades said there will be no let-up in efforts to reunify Cyprus, despite July’s collapse of peace talks with breakaway Turkish Cypriots.
Russian-made BUK surface-to-air missiles were also put on the display at the parade.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
Greek air force warplanes fly over the military parade during celebrations of the 57th anniversary of independence, in Nicosia, in the divided island of Cyprus,October 1, 2017. (AP/Petros Karadjias)
Your next read: ToI Editors' Picks
LIMITED TIME OFFER: Join The Times of Israel Community today, and you'll receive a physical book of your choice, carefully curated by our editors.
Choose between two must-reads: When We See You Again by Rachel Goldberg-Polin, a searing portrait of a mother’s grief and strength following unthinkable tragedy;
Or Out of the Sky: Heroism and Rebirth in Nazi Europe by Matti Friedman, the gripping and surprising tale of a forgotten moment during World War II.
As a Community member, you’ll enjoy our outstanding DocuNation series of Israeli documentary films, an ad-free experience of our site and podcasts, commenting privileges, and more.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
