Cyprus Defence Minister Palmas meets French counterpart Vautrin in Paris on arms procurement and security

Paris, France. Cyprus Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas held talks on Tuesday with French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin, covering bilateral defence ties, European procurement and security developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East, including Lebanon.

Meeting at Euronaval 2026

The talks were held on the margins of Euronaval 2026, an international exhibition on naval defence and maritime security, which is taking place from November 3 to 6.

Related: Cyprus Defence Minister Palmas Travels to Paris for Talks With Vautrin and EURONAVAL Visit

RelatedCyprus Defence Minister Palmas Travels to Paris for Talks With Vautrin and EURONAVAL Visit

French statement on cooperation

The French defence ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday that both ministers welcomed the strong momentum in operational cooperation between their armed forces, as well as efforts to reinforce their military capabilities.

Scorpion vehicles under the Safe programme

The French ministry confirmed that Cyprus’ procurement plans under the European Union’s Safe programme include Scorpion armoured vehicles made in France. According to the statement, Vautrin thanked Cyprus for trusting French defence manufacturers, in particular through Safe-funded purchases of French military capabilities, “notably Scorpion vehicles”.

Defence ministry sources in Cyprus also confirmed the procurement plans.

The Cyprus Mail reported in March that Cyprus was in advanced negotiations with France over roughly 80 Griffon and 100 Serval armoured vehicles, both part of the Scorpion family. The French statement gave no figures or models for the vehicles, and did not mention their cost, the delivery schedule or whether contracts had been finalised.

European defence priorities

The two ministers pointed to a shared strategic view of security challenges, notably the importance of giving priority to European defence procurement in order to strengthen Europe’s strategic autonomy. They also discussed how higher defence spending across Europe could reinforce the continent’s defence industrial and technological base.