& nbsp & nbspΑνδρέας Πιμπίσιης & nbsp; & nbsp;
Cypriot ports should be considered closed to Russian ships as long as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues and as long as European Union decisions continue to apply. For the Republic of Cyprus, Russian ships are undesirable for the duration of the war in Ukraine. And this was seen recently when Nicosia canceled the mooring of Russian warships with a verbal announcement. & Nbsp;
Diplomatic sources confirmed to “F” information (of Alpha) that the Republic of Cyprus did not allow the anchoring of five vessels of the Russian navy. The five ships had a scheduled visit to the port of Limassol in the framework of the cooperation between Cyprus and Russia and the provision of facilities by the Authorities of the Republic of Cyprus. According to information, these were frigates and support boats that would come for refueling purposes. & Nbsp;
The Foreign Ministry informed Russia in a verbal statement that due to the developments in Ukraine, the agreement on the provision of facilities and a mooring permit could not be valid. This forced Russian ships to look for another port for refueling.
The decision of the Cypriot government is in the spirit of the discussions in Brussels for the extension of the measures against Russia and in addition to the European national airspace to close the ports of the Member States. Such a decision would have a much greater impact on Cyprus despite the non-provision of facilities to five warships that would come for refueling. Closing ports for Russian ships will have a wider impact. & Nbsp;
In the case of Russian warships, if the Cypriot government did not act as a deterrent, then there was a serious possibility that Russian, French and American naval vessels would sail side by side in the Cypriot sea. Because it is known that at the same time the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was off Limassol, which is known to be accompanied by a number of other warships. & Nbsp;
United States warships were also found in the sea area of Cyprus. Last Wednesday & nbsp; in the context of the presence of the American Destroyer (A/T) USS ROSS (DDG-71), in the sea area of Cyprus, the Naval Command (DN) of the General Staff of the National Guard (GEEF), held the first joint exercise of naval cooperation (PASSEX), with the US Navy (Navy), under the name “CYP/USA -01/2022”, South Limassol. & nbsp;
Purpose of the exercise, designed by DN of GEEF, in collaboration with the American Navy, was the execution of naval exercises between warships of the DN and the American Navy and the promotion of interoperability between them and in it participated the Offshore Ship (PATH) IOANNIDIS and the A/T USS ROS (DDG-71). & Nbsp;
In particular, the exercise scenario included Tactical Movements and Progressive Maneuvers, Formation, execution of an asymmetric threat and high school of communication. The exercise ended with a greeting passing between the 2 Ships. & Nbsp;
The exercise, which is part of the network of international collaborations developed by the National Guard (NF) with the Armed Forces of friends and allied countries, is considered particularly beneficial, as it provides the opportunity for the NF Navy personnel to co-train with US Units. PN, thus highlighting the excellent relations between the Armed Forces of the two countries. & Nbsp;
Announcement of the General Staff of the National Guard states that “on the occasion of the mooring of the American A/T USS ROSS (DDG-71) in the port of Limassol, on Monday, February 28, 2022, the Commander of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Democritus Zervakis, in the presence of Ambassador of the United States of America in Cyprus, Mrs. Judith G. Garbero, made a ceremonial visit, where he was informed about the capabilities and the mission of the ship. Afterwards, after being guided on the ship's premises, he had a meeting with the Commander of the USS ROSS (DDG-71), Lieutenant Commander Scott Jones, where they discussed issues of common interest “. & Nbsp;
THE LEADERS OF THE EU IN VERSAILLES & nbsp;
An extraordinary summit will be held next week with the main topic being the developments in Ukraine and the new order of things that is being created for the European Union. French Ambassador Salina Grenet-Catalano, in statements to KYPE, said that the tragedy in Ukraine will change Europe. “There will be economic consequences due to sanctions but we will protect our citizens from them. Our freedom and the freedom of our children is no longer a given. “Now more than ever, it takes courage and willpower to fight for it all the time,” he added. & Nbsp;
” the EU must achieve full sovereignty in the international order. To this end, it must strengthen its power, either in financial planning, or in energy independence, or in its defense capabilities “, he pointed out. He added that these goals will also set the agenda for the EU Summit to be held on 10 and 11 March in Versailles, under the French Presidency of the EU Council.
