Roundup: Cyprus, Israel to combat terrorism, asymmetric threats

Cyprus and Israel signed a defense cooperation agreement on Wednesday, citing the need to face terrorism and asymmetric threats.

The signing came at the end of talks between Cypriot defense minister Christoforos Fokaides and his Israeli counterpart Moshe Ya'alon, during Ya'alon's one-day visit to Cyprus.

Fokaides said the agreement regulates the presence of military personnel of each country on the territory of the other for the purpose of joint military activities.

Cypriot and Israeli ground, naval and air forces hold military drills twice a year in the context of developing their security cooperation.

"The cooperation of our two countries serves the need to effectively face the new challenges for security in an unstable region and new asymmetric threats, mainly the intensification of terrorism and the climaxing of the human crisis," said Fokaides.

In his remarks on the Israeli-Cypriot cooperation, Ya'alon cited an incident last year in which Cypriot authorities acted in time to prevent a planned massive attack by militant group which had amassed almost 10 tons of ammonium nitrate, a potentially explosive substance.

Ya'alon also said the unstable situation in the Middle East presented big challenges for Cyprus and Israel.

He said the brutalities taking place in Syria and Iraq, which has forced hundreds of thousands of refugees to head to Europe, offered "the opportunity to criminal and ruthless terrorist organizations to infiltrate the West." Endit