The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, on Tuesday stressed the importance of a comprehensive defence framework for the European Union during a meeting with European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the DEFEA 2026 conference in Athens, where both sides underlined the significance of strengthening the EU’s mutual assistance clause, as outlined in Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union.

Christodoulides said that Cyprus is “working hard” during its Presidency of the Council of the EU, noting that there have already been positive developments in the areas of defence and security. He described Article 42.7 as a key tool for the Union, highlighting that the role of the EU defence commissioner had also been emphasised by the president of the European Commission during prior discussions.

Referring to the defence sector, the President expressed confidence in the prospects of Cyprus’ defence industry, describing it as promising and noting increased investment interest from countries including India and Israel.

For his part, Kubilius praised the work being carried out by Cyprus during its EU Council Presidency, pointing to the significant progress and deliverables achieved.

Discussions also covered efforts by EU member states to reinforce the mutual assistance clause, upgrades to infrastructure at the “Andreas Papandreou” air base in Paphos and the “Evangelos Florakis” naval base in Mari for use by European and partner countries, Cyprus’ participation in the SAFE financial instrument, through which it is expected to secure €1.18 billion, and broader developments in the country’s defence industry.