Barak MX air defence system to debut at Cyprus Independence Day parade

Nicosia, Cyprus. Cyprus’s Israeli-made Barak MX air defence system will be presented publicly for the first time during the military parade marking Independence Day on October 1, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said on Friday. Greece’s Defence Minister Nikos Dendias and an Egyptian armed forces contingent will also attend the parade.

Independence Day parade

Palmas said the event would be an upgraded parade to honour Cyprus’s Independence Day and would showcase the National Guard’s latest acquisition.

Units from other allied countries are also expected to take part alongside the Egyptian contingent.

Trilateral defence meeting

Ahead of the parade, Palmas is due to travel to Cairo for a trilateral meeting with his Greek and Egyptian counterparts.

He said the meeting would review and update trilateral cooperation on exercises and training.

Flight information region violations

Palmas also referred to continuing violations of the Nicosia flight information region by Turkish aircraft, as well as reports of harassment involving Greek fighter jets and passenger planes.

“We are doing what we need to do, and beyond that, we don’t want to get to the point where a situation will lead us down dangerous paths,” he said.

Defence modernisation

Palmas said the extension of the lifting of the arms embargo on the Republic for another year would allow existing agreements to proceed.

These include the modernisation of the Andreas Papandreou air base in Paphos, which is targeted for completion within the next year, and the acquisition of 40 Hummer military vehicles.

He added that the armed forces conduct regular bilateral and trilateral training, referring to recent cooperation with Greece and Egypt through the multinational Medusa exercise.