Cyprus receives first €177 million from EU’s SAFE programme

Politics francepresident christodoulidesTop News Cyprus receives first €177 million from EU’s SAFE programme Macron Christodoulides Relevant News Cyprus receives first €177 million from EU’s SAFE programme 13 July 2026 Spanish Los Gallardos wildfire left 12 people dead and at least 7,000 hectares burnt 13 July 2026 Don’t panic: what Cyprus’s snake experts want you to know 13 July 2026 Andreas Bimbishis 13 July 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Cyprus has received the first €177 million tranche of funding under the EU’s SAFE defence programme, sources have told Phileleftheros. France will supply 80% of the equipment the National Guard receives through the scheme, the sources said. Cyprus’s Defence Ministry, together with the National Guard, has drawn up a list of needs within the €1.18 billion Cyprus is due to receive overall through SAFE. The programme runs until 2030 and covers battle tanks, aircraft, drones and anti-drone systems, munitions and other equipment. The first deliveries will be communications systems, arriving at intervals. Moreover, in what is presented as a further step in the deepening strategic alliance between the two countries, President Nikos Christodoulides will attend France’s Bastille Day military parade in Paris on Tuesday, at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. Twenty elite troops in Paris A National Guard contingent of 20 is already in Paris rehearsing for Tuesday’s parade. National Guard Chief Emmanouil Theodorou travelled to France on Monday with the President. The Guard previously took part in the parade with six personnel in 2008, and with three at a parade marking Poland’s national day in 2019. This year marks its largest contingent yet, following an invitation from France as part of Cyprus-France military cooperation. Decades of defence cooperation with France Defence cooperation between Cyprus and France dates back decades. Paris was among the first capitals to respond positively, from the 1990s, to Cyprus’s effort to build a deterrent military force, and that cooperation continues today, now undergoing a significant upgrade. Cyprus is seeking to upgrade its defence capability through the EU’s SAFE programme, with France one of the main pillars of that effort. Palmas speaks at Kampos memorial Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas, representing the President, said on Sunday that Cyprus must continue seeking a solution to the Cyprus problem that safeguards the country’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. Palmas was speaking at the memorial service for the fallen of the Kampos community during the Turkish invasion. Referring to what he called the unfulfilled debt owed to the homeland and its fallen heroes, Palmas said: “we have a historic and national duty to continue the just struggle we are waging,” until Cyprus achieves what he described as the long-desired liberation and reunification of the homeland. He added that efforts must continue “with prudence and moderation” until Cyprus reaches a solution that safeguards its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, one that upholds human rights and fundamental freedoms and secures, in conditions of peace, prosperity and progress, the future of the Cypriot people as a whole. Referring to Ioannis Achilleos, Andreas Giorgalidis, Aris Mavroskoufis, Christos Kalaitzis, Christakis Christodoulides, Themistoklis Drakos, Evangelos Evripidis, Charalambos Fantaros, Theocharis Kimis and Charalambos Antoniou, the Minister said the battlefields where they fought and gave their lives “are undeniable witnesses to their fighting spirit and great heroism.” He also referred to the responsibility to determine the fate of the community’s missing residents, Andreas Christodoulides, Andreas Christoforou and Theofanis Orfanos, and of all missing compatriots. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Spanish Los Gallardos wildfire left 12 people dead and at least 7,000 hectares burnt Don’t panic: what Cyprus’s snake experts want you to know France sends water bombers to tackle wildfire outside Paris Violent incidents hurt Ayia Napa tourism, mayor says On this day: the first World Cup took place in 1930 Cyprus strips asylum from 95, mostly Syrians, in migration crackdown Occupation forces arrest two Greek Cypriots for “military zone violation” Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.