Christodoulides and Palmas meet with Greek Defence Minister in Nicosia

Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas is scheduled to meet with his Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias to discuss developments in the region in view of the ongoing war between the United States, Israel and Iran in Nicosia on Tuesday.

“In light of developments in the Middle East and in our region, I will meet tomorrow with the Greek Minister of National Defence […] and with the chief of the Hellenic National Defence staff, general Dimitrios Houpis,” Palmas wrote in a post on X on Monday evening.

Together with Houpis, the ministers will conduct a review of the available data to assess the current security situation and discuss suitable measures to ensure the effective response to potential dangers and safeguard the public.

Government spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said that Dendias is scheduled to meet with President Nikos Christodoulides later in the day.

Christodoulides and Dendias held a phone call on Monday, following which four Greek F-16 fighter jets arrived in Cyprus after the island’s British bases in Akrotiri became the target of drone strikes amid the crisis in the Middle East.

The fighter jets are currently stationed at Andreas Papandreou Paphos, the primary airbase of the Cyprus Air Force.

The government had previously conveyed his gratitude to the Greek administration for the close collaboration and communication in the strained circumstances.

Dendias, in a post on X, said that he would travel to Cyprus to ensure the better coordination of actions with the Republic.

In addition to the four fighter jets, Greece has sent two frigates, the Psara and the Kimon. These vessels are equipped with the Centavros combat system, which can detect and “neutralise” drone threats.

The system has previously been used to intercept drones belonging to the Iran-supported Houthi militia in the Red Sea in 2024 and has since been fully incorporated with Israel’s Barak MX air defence system.