Cyprus-US defence cooperation was at the centre of discussions held by Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Palmas said his participation in the conference allowed him to conduct bilateral meetings with foreign ministers, addressing both bilateral relations and broader geopolitical developments in Europe and worldwide.

One of the most significant meetings on the second day of the conference was with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence David Baker, where they discussed Cyprus’ inclusion in US defence programmes such as Foreign Military Sales (FMS), Excess Defence Articles (EDA) and military training and equipment assistance programmes for foreign security forces.

Palmas also held talks with an aide to the Deputy Assistant Secretary regarding the upgrade of the Mari Naval Base and the Andreas Papandreou Air Base, as well as the implementation of the Bilateral Defence Cooperation Roadmap signed last September.

When asked whether there were any shifts in US policy following changes in the US administration, Palmas assured that “everything is fine.”

He further noted that US officials provided guidance on the most efficient procedures for Cyprus to acquire military equipment under these programmes.

In addition, the minister also had discussions with his Armenian counterpart and was scheduled to meet the German Deputy Minister of Defence and the Minister of Defence of Montenegro. He was also invited to a working lunch with the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, alongside a select group of other defence ministers.

Responding to a question about US Vice President JD Vance’s speech at the conference, Palmas acknowledged that it had caused discomfort among European allies.

He noted that Vance’s remarks on democracy in Europe and other policy issues had sparked considerable debate and were expected to dominate discussions in the coming days.

Asked whether European leaders appeared united in their response to the speech, Palmas said that while there was general consensus and solidarity among EU members, a sense of unease was also evident.

He expressed confidence that EU institutions would provide appropriate responses to Vance’s statements.