The multinational civil-military cooperation exercise Argonaut 2025 concluded on Thursday after three days of manoeuvres across Cyprus’ maritime, air and land domains.

Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said the Republic of Cyprus would continue contributing to regional stability and peace, adding that the Argonaut exercise enhances Cyprus’ readiness and effectiveness in responding to crises, emergencies, and humanitarian operations in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.

The exercise was carried out by the National Guard, in cooperation with the foreign ministry and the search and rescue coordination centre.

The exercise was held in three phases, testing two key national response plans: Estia, for the reception of civilians from neighbouring countries at war, and Tefkros, for mass search and rescue operations.

The first phase of Estia was coordinated by the foreign ministry and the National Guard general staff. The scenario involved the evacuation and reception of civilians from crisis zones. Sixteen state services, representatives from 31 countries, and two international organisations participated in the Non-Combatant Evacuation Operations Coordination Group (NEOCG).

The second phase, also part of Estia and led by the foreign ministry, focused on receiving and managing the mass arrival of third-country nationals at Limassol port.

The third phase tested the Tefkros plan and was coordinated by the search and rescue coordination centre. It involved a simulated naval and air accident in Cyprus’ maritime area, requiring a mass rescue operation.

A total of 850 personnel and 28 naval and air vessels from participating countries took part in the exercise.

The event was observed by Defence Minister Palmas, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeadis, National Guard Chief of Staff Georgios Tsitsikostas, ambassadors, and representatives from the participating countries, as well as 130 international observers.

Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said the Republic of Cyprus would continue contributing to regional stability and peace, adding that the Argonaut exercise enhances Cyprus’ readiness and effectiveness in responding to crises, emergencies, and humanitarian operations

A conference of NEOCG countries will be held on Friday to review and coordinate evacuation procedures and actions.

“Recent events have clearly highlighted the importance of the Argonaut exercise, which facilitated the evacuation and repatriation of thousands of people during operations from Sudan and Israel via Cyprus in April and October 2023,” Palmas said.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Palmas expressed pride in Cyprus’ search and rescue (SAR) system, which has rescued over 8,000 people in danger over the past 30 years.

He emphasised that the participation of Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, the UK and the US underscored the strategic importance of Argonaut.

“Cyprus plays a crucial role as a safe haven, offering infrastructure, facilities and services,” he said. “The Republic of Cyprus is committed to continuing its contribution to stability and peace in the region.”

Addressing the wider humanitarian challenges in the region, Palmas stressed that international cooperation and collective action are essential.

Initiatives such as Argonaut, he added, “contribute to the creation of the necessary prerequisites to facilitate international operations and response, in order to support humanitarian efforts in the region.”

“The Republic of Cyprus is proud to be a pioneer in such initiatives,” the defence minister said.

Chief of Staff Tsitsikostas praised the professionalism displayed throughout the exercise and said the broad participation reflected the strong and enduring ties between Cyprus and its international partners since the launch of Argonaut in 2008.

“Training in a multinational environment is vital – it strengthens our capabilities, readiness and operational effectiveness,” he said. “Argonaut is a cornerstone of these efforts and one of the most important multinational exercises in the region.”

He added that since the outbreak of the crisis in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, Cyprus has drawn international attention. Despite being a small country with limited resources, it has remained committed to supporting efforts in accordance with international law, maritime conventions and regional security frameworks.