Collaborative defence efforts between Cyprus, Greece, France and Italy will be further expanded as part of the framework of the quadrilateral QUAD initiative, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.

“The progress achieved through joint exercises, such as Eunomia, and the deepening of our operational cooperation, have strengthened our collective ability to safeguard our common interests and promote peace,” it said.

The decision was announced following a meeting between defence policy directors, who had met in Larnaca on Monday to discuss further measures for the promotion of security in the Eastern Mediterranean.

“Looking ahead, we are determined to further upgrade the effectiveness and vision of the QUAD Initiative, confident that our cooperation will bring tangible benefits to our countries and the wider region,” a joint statement.

The defence policy directors, including Panayiotis Symeou of Cyprus, said the cooperative efforts would primarily focus on cyber defence, maritime security and hybrid threats.

While stressing the need to improve mechanisms for cooperative crisis response in view of new and ongoing security challenges, QUAD reiterated that all four countries remained committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes.

The QUAD initiative was established in 2020. Its key measure is the annual, rotating aernautical exercise Eunomia.

Its sixth edition, co-organised by Cyprus and France in the Eastern Mediterranean, took place in mid September with the participation of the National Guard, the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Larnaca and armed forces from Greece, France and Italy.

This year’s exercise focused on maritime interdiction operations, search and rescue, Cyber Warfare and measures against asymmetric warfare – measures which were to be employed in the event of a war between countries with significantly different levels of military capability.