Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides hailed the military exercises with France, Italy and Greece a ‘particular geostrategic significance’ for the EU and its allies.
Code-named Eunomia 4-2023, the 5-day drill involved naval and air forces, including French Rafale jet fighters and Airbus A400M Atlas transport aircraft.
The exercise also involved civilian evacuation drills in the event of a regional emergency for the first time.
Britain used Cyprus as a waypoint to evacuate hundreds of its citizens from Sudan as the ongoing violence forced many foreign countries to urgently evacuate their citizens from the Northeast African country through complex airlifts and land convoys.
Cyprus has been divided since Turkish troops invaded the island in 1974 to support Turkish Cypriots in response to a military coup on the island which was backed by the government of Greece.
Turkish Cypriots supported by Turkiye control the Northern part of the country while an internationally recognized government ruled by Greek Cypriots dominate the South.
The joint exercises showcased the readiness of the four EU member states to ensure conditions of security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
