Address by the Minister of Defence at the closure of the
deliberations
of the High-Level Seminar on
Common Security and Defence Policy issues
The Minister of Defence, Mr Christoforos Fokaides, addressed today the closure of the
deliberations , of the high-level seminar on issues of Common Security and Defence
Policy (CSDP), which was organized by the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of
Cyprus, in cooperation with the European Union Institute for Security Studies
(EUISS), under the auspices of the European Security and Defence College
(ESDC).
The Minister, who awarded diplomas on behalf of the High Representative
of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Mrs Catherine Ashton, in
his speech he commended the work of the European Security and Defence College,
as regards the training in the areas of CSDP.
Mr Fokaides also underlined that in a time of significant geopolitical
changes and challenges, the European Union should assume a more active and
effective role in the international arena, so as to promote peace, security and
stability.
In a special reference to the Cyprus problem , he noted that the anachronism of territorial occupation and division
of an EU member state should come to an end. He stressed that the Cyprus
Government makes every effort to reach a solution, based on the resolutions of
the United Nations and the principles upon which the EU is founded.
The seminar, which constitutes
the most important training activity of the European Security and Defence
College, commenced on May 12 and concluded its deliberations today in Larnaca.
More than 60 individuals from the military and diplomatic communities of all
member states of the European Union and European institutions participated.
Finally, it should be noted that during the week, the participants
attended lectures by distinguished speakers. There were presentations that
concerned the future collaborations in the areas of security and defense, as
well as the current and future military and civilian operations and crisis
management missions. In addition, issues relating to energy, maritime and
cyber-security were also discussed. Finally, participants had the opportunity to
visit the facilities of the United Nations Peace – Keeping Force in Cyprus
(UNFICYP).
