Greece, Cyprus and Egypt Deepen Military Cooperation With Rapid Joint Response Agreement

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Greece, Cyprus and Egypt have agreed to strengthen military cooperation and improve their ability to coordinate a rapid and unified response to future security threats, following a trilateral defence ministers’ meeting in Cairo.

Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias, Cypriot Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas and Egypt’s Minister of Defence and Military Production, Lieutenant General Ashraf Salem Zaher, met in Cairo on September 22 for the latest trilateral defence meeting.

The talks focused on expanding cooperation between the three armed forces, joint exercises and training, operational interoperability, new defence technologies and the wider regional security environment.

A key outcome was an agreement to strengthen the existing framework for military and defence cooperation, including the countries’ ability to respond collectively to future developments involving threats to their security.

Greece, Cyprus and Egypt agree on closer military coordination

According to the joint declaration, the three countries agreed on the importance of strengthening defence cooperation to support a “rapid and unified response” to future developments involving sources of threats against the three countries.

The agreement also calls for intensified communication, consultations and the exchange of information and assessments.

The three sides will also coordinate their military capabilities in proportion to the seriousness of existing and future military threats and regional security challenges.

The next meeting of the trilateral defence ministers’ dialogue mechanism will be held in Greece in 2027.

The Cairo meeting follows the September 8 trilateral summit in El Alamein, where Greece, Cyprus and Egypt reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.

‘Medusa’ exercise strengthens operational readiness

The defence ministers also highlighted the results of the latest Exercise Medusa, a major multinational military exercise involving the armed forces of Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.

The exercise was cited as an important contributor to operational coordination and military readiness, particularly in preparing the three countries to respond to common security challenges.

The Greek Defence Ministry had identified joint exercises, training activities and operational interoperability as central priorities ahead of the Cairo meeting.

Dendias: Egypt is a ‘strategic and indispensable ally’

Following the meeting, Dendias described Egypt as a “strategic and indispensable ally” for Greece and Cyprus.

He also stressed that Greece’s relationship with Egypt was not directed against another country.

“We Greeks do not make our good relations with Egypt dependent on our relations with any other state, nor do we consider our relations with Egypt to be directed against any other state,” Dendias said.

He said the relationship was based on mutual trust, respect for international law and the Law of the Sea, as well as existing agreements between Greece and Egypt.

Dendias specifically pointed to the bilateral agreement on the Exclusive Economic Zone signed by Greece and Egypt in 2020.

The Greek minister also described the Cairo meeting as another step in strengthening Greek Egyptian relations.

Wider Eastern Mediterranean security cooperation

The trilateral defence framework comes as Greece, Cyprus and Egypt continue to expand military and strategic cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The three countries have increasingly used joint military exercises and defence dialogue to improve interoperability and coordination between their armed forces.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi separately received Dendias and Palmas in Cairo on September 22, with discussions focused on strengthening the strategic defence and security relationships between Egypt and Greece and between Egypt and Cyprus.

The latest defence ministers’ agreement now places greater emphasis on information exchange, military coordination and the ability to respond collectively to emerging regional security challenges.

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