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A short visit to Cyprus conducted by the US Secretary of State. Mike pompeo, who arrived under draconian security measures at the Presidential Palace on Saturday afternoon, for the signing of Memorandum of understanding for the establishment of a Security Training Center.
During his meetings with President Anastasiadis and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus, in the rug the improvement of bilateral relations, the tensions in the eastern Mediterranean due to the escalation of Turkish provocations and the next steps on the Cyprus question.
Special emphasis was placed on illegal actions of turkey against the Republic of Cyprus.
Nicosia describes the visit as important, considering the current situation with the broader developments in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Mr. Pompeo was received by the Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulidis and after the president of the republic Nikos Anastasiadis.
The discussions between the US delegation and the Republic of Cyprus delegation were then expanded.
In a post on Twitter, Mr. Anastasiadis, welcoming the Secretary of State of the United States, underlined that the visit of the Secretary of State of the United States takes place at a time with critical developments in the eastern Mediterranean, due to the illegal actions of Turkey and shows the interest of the United States in maintaining stability in the region.
“I am pleased to welcome US Secretary of State John Pompeo at a critical time in the eastern Mediterranean due to Turkey’s illegal actions and to show the US interest in maintaining stability in the region,” he wrote. Anastasiadis.
Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding
Nikos Christodoulidis and Mike Pompeo then signed Memorandum of understanding for the establishment of a Security Training Center.
Specifically, the Memorandum of Understanding was signed in the context of bilateral cooperation between the Republic of Cyprus and the United States in security and defense sectors, and includes the establishment of a CYCLOPS (Cyprus Center for Land, Open Sea and Port Security) training center on security issues, which has already obtained a commitment from the US government for seed funding for construction. and operation of the Center.
This initiative is part of the Declaration of Intent signed between the Republic of Cyprus and the USA on 11.6.2018.
The CYCLOPS Center is a collaborative program with USA to provide technical expertise and equipment, While they will participate in training programs for Cypriot trainers, with the ultimate goal of acquiring knowledge and skills from them, in order to train their respective officials from other countries, mainly from neighboring countries (Train the Trainers concept). The training areas offered by the Center refer, among other things, to the following modules: border control and security, port security, customs controls on land and at sea, CBRN-E management (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) in a special laboratory, and cyber security.
The Republic of Cyprus will provide the space, where it will be built, and the infrastructure.
In cooperation with the Municipality of Larnaca, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has chosen the construction site of the Center near the Larnaca Airport (Makenzi area). The space specifications are environmentally friendly and the goal is to use “green” technology wherever possible, for environmental and economic reasons.
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