14 Nov 2020; MEMO: Israel, Greece and Greek Cyprus agreed on Thursday to reinforce military cooperation amongst one another, Israeli media and news agencies reported.
Defence ministers from the three countries confirmed that the agreement would keep their armed forces better prepared, as well as creating more jobs for their citizens and improving security in the region.
"[The agreement] to promote large-scale industry cooperation will bolster our defence abilities and create thousands of jobs for all three economies," the Times of Israel reported Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz stating.
Greece's Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos indicated that Greek, Israeli and Cypriot armed forces are working to operate together more effectively through joint training programs, intelligence sharing and cyber-security, the Israeli newspaper also reported.
Meanwhile, Panagiotopoulos and Cyprus' Charalambos Petrides affirmed that the three countries are working to involve more parties in their partnership, mainly the US, whose presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, they believe, helps to stablise the region.
The three countries have forged close relations amid increasing tension in the area, which has erupted due to their denial of Turkey's EEZ rights across the Eastern Mediterranean.
