A plan for the development of two strategic military bases Cyprus is under development.
In a leading article titled: “Republic of Cyprus: Developing in Strategic and Defense Terms,” Politis newspaper reports that plans to develop the Andreas Papandreou Air Base and Evangelos Florakis Naval Base are under development.
The aim is to strengthen the strategic role of Cyprus and improve its defence power, the newspaper notes, citing the statements by Minister of Defence Vasilis Palmas.
According to the report, Palmas said that the Andreas Papandreou Air Base in Paphos is one of the projects that can be implemented most quickly and that the improvement works are expected to be completed within a year.
Palmas also noted that the expansion of the runway and the renewal of building infrastructure within will enable the development of strategic opportunities and functionality without the need for major investments.
Palmas said the cost of the project is expected to be slightly over 10 million euros, adding that the development of the naval base in Mari is a much larger project and the projected budget could be 250 million euros.
Palmas said the review of the Mari base’s improvement is expected to be completed in the new year, adding that the project will take 4-5 years to complete.
Furthermore, Politis notes that Cyprus has developed military and defense cooperation with global and European partners such as France, Serbia and Israel, and had expanded its cooperation with the United States after the arms embargo was lifted. The paper adds that the first batch of M16-M5 type combat/infantry rifles for the commando unit and the RMMO Underwater Demolition Team (SAT) had been received by Cyprus, and the purchase of the French-origin MILAN anti-tank weapon instead of the French Acheron was already advanced within the equipment planning of Cyprus.
According to reports, Cyprus is expected to deploy the anti-aircraft and anti-missile BARAK MX systems it procured from Israel in 2025. A related source told the newspaper that Cyprus was not expected to have a fighter jet, but that having a seagoing vessel was necessary for the development of its naval forces.
The newspaper reported that the purchase of a new ship was estimated to cost around 20 million euros and that it could be included in the country’s equipment program.