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)
Discover Israel's most beloved poet
She died more than four decades ago, but Leah Goldberg remains a magnetic and enigmatic figure: Israel’s most beloved poet, a powerful woman who lived with her mother and never married, who reinvented herself from the ashes of World War I through her magical writing.
You can screen 'The Five Houses of Leah Goldberg' June 4-11. Join The Times of Israel Community today to support our work and watch this and other outstanding documentary films in our DocuNation series.
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
