Cyprus’s defence minister, Charalambos Petridis said that the island’s defence expenditure in 2021 was at its highest level since 2004.

Speaking at the Pancyprian Artillery Reserve Association’s annual gala, Petrides noted that such levels of spending will continue in 2022.

The Defence Minister stressed that the existence, strengthening and upgrading of Cyprus’s defence is imperative, given that the Cyprus issue remains unresolved and the occupation and presence of Turkish troops continues.