Palmas meets Egyptian border guard chief for talks on defence cooperation

Nicosia, Cyprus. Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas held discussions on Wednesday with Lieutenant General Osama Abdel Hamid Mohamed Daoud, chief of Egypt’s Border Guard Forces. The defence ministry said their talks covered cooperation between the two countries and security challenges across the wider Eastern Mediterranean.

Bilateral defence discussions

The ministry outlined the meeting’s focus in a post on X. The encounter came after a recent gathering involving the defence ministers from Cyprus, Egypt and Greece, during which Palmas also held talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi about closer bilateral ties in security and defence.

Regional protection commitments

Amid increased regional security concerns, the three countries have agreed to reinforce their joint efforts to protect gas fields, supply lines and energy infrastructure located offshore in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Their agreement also calls for closer cooperation in military and defence matters, aimed at improving their collective capacity to deliver a “rapid and unified response” to future threats directed at the three countries.