The official representative of the government, Konstantinos Letimpiotis, explained the position by saying that the republic cannot remain without weaponsNICOSIA, April 7.
/tass/. The Cypriot authorities do not intend to transfer their military equipment and weapons to Ukraine, since the republic itself needs them to ensure its own security. This was stated on Friday by the official representative of the government, Konstantinos Letimpiotis, commenting on the talks between the defense Ministers of Cyprus and Ukraine.
"There is a serious issue for us, which is that Cyprus cannot remain without weapons. We cannot give any weapons for any other purposes, since defense is the main priority for our country," he said in an interview with the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation, adding that the Government of the republic has repeatedly stressed this position.
The former cabinet of Nicos Anastasiades at one time admitted that the Cypriot authorities discussed with partners from the EU and the United States the issue of the possibility of transporting weapons to Ukraine, but this topic was not considered in detail. The main argument then was that Cyprus could not provide any kind of weapons, because it is a country that is under occupation and which must ensure its defense capability. However, last fall, Washington announced the complete lifting of the arms embargo on Cyprus, which it imposed in 1987 in order to support the settlement process on the island with the prospects of uniting its Greek and Turkish parts. Cyprus is currently armed with, among other things, anti-aircraft missile systems, tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, mainly of Soviet and Russian production.
According to the government Press and Information Bureau, the heads of the military departments of Cyprus and Ukraine, Michalis Yorgallas and Alexey Reznikov, who are on a visit to the island, discussed, in particular, the issues of assistance to Kiev through the European Peace Fund. Moreover, as noted in the message, it was about the provision of "humanitarian assistance" to Kiev through the mentioned fund. At the end of March, the EU Council approved the plan of the head of the community's Foreign Policy Service, Josep Borrel, which provides for the allocation of €2 billion from the European Peace Fund for the supply of 1 million ammunition to Ukraine within 12 months and doubling this amount within 2 years thanks to joint orders of 155 mm shells by EU countries.
"The ministers discussed the events in Ukraine and the security situation. In addition, they exchanged views on humanitarian assistance provided to Ukraine within the framework of the European Peace Fund, as well as broader support by Cyprus for Ukraine and its people," the document says.
The Minister of Defense of the Republic of Yorgallas said that the Cypriot authorities will assist Ukraine in training specialists in mine clearance. "We will deploy [Ukrainian] personnel who will be engaged in mine clearance and mine detection," he said in an interview with Sigma TV channel. In turn, the Cypriot edition of Politis reported that a group of 18 Ukrainian soldiers will arrive in Cyprus at the end of April.
