Tag: Cyprus

CYPRUS AND ISRAEL PLAN THEIR LARGEST-EVER MILITARY EXERCISE

Sourced : Cyprus Mail Online By Antonis Michael The largest land-based exercise between the National Guard and the Israeli special forces will take place in the coming days in several areas of the Troodos mountains, media reports said on Wednesday. The exercise, part of the defence cooperation that has developed in recent years between the… Continue reading CYPRUS AND ISRAEL PLAN THEIR LARGEST-EVER MILITARY EXERCISE

EU NATIONS, ISRAEL EYE LONGEST UNDERSEA GAS PIPELINE

Sourced : France24 Italy, Israel, Greece and Cyprus pledged Monday to move ahead with the world’s longest undersea gas pipeline from the eastern Mediterranean to southern Europe, with support from the European Union. If carried out as planned, the long-discussed $6.2 billion pipeline would take gas from Israel and Cyprus’s recently discovered offshore gas reserves… Continue reading EU NATIONS, ISRAEL EYE LONGEST UNDERSEA GAS PIPELINE

UAE MOVES CLOSER TO ISRAEL, GREECE AND CYPRUS BOLSTERING EGYPT’S REGIONAL ROLE

Sourced : Hurriyet By Micha’el Tanchum (Fellow at the Energy Policy Research Center at Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey).   Combat pilots from United Arab Emirates (UAE) are making history by flying alongside their Israeli counterparts in a joint air force exercise hosted by Greece. While the UAE and Israel have no formal diplomatic ties, the… Continue reading UAE MOVES CLOSER TO ISRAEL, GREECE AND CYPRUS BOLSTERING EGYPT’S REGIONAL ROLE

HOW ERDOGAN WILL DERAIL CYPRUS’ REUNIFICATION

Sourced : Politico By Mujtaba Rahman (Head of Eurasia Group’s Europe practice) The divided island of Cyprus is probably the closest it has ever been to being reunified. For the first time, both the North and the South have elected leaders who are genuinely willing to work toward a solution to the decades-old conflict. Over… Continue reading HOW ERDOGAN WILL DERAIL CYPRUS’ REUNIFICATION

SECURITY REMAINS MAIN OBSTACLE TO CYPRUS DEAL

Sourced : Kathimerini As negotiators try to break a 43-year deadlock to reunite Cyprus, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras expressed reservations on Wednesday over the short-term prospects of a settlement, which, he said, must include the abolition of the “anachronistic” system of guarantees and the withdrawal of Turkey’s troops from the island. In an interview with… Continue reading SECURITY REMAINS MAIN OBSTACLE TO CYPRUS DEAL

ERDOGAN : “TURKISH TROOPS WOULD REMAIN IN CYPRUS FOREVER”

Sourced : NY Times By Nick Cumming-Bruce and Andreas Riris Turkey’s president declared on Friday that Turkish troops would remain in Cyprus “forever,” complicating hopes of reuniting the island nation, which has been effectively partitioned since 1974. “Greece is fleeing again from a solution to the Cyprus problem,” the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told reporters… Continue reading ERDOGAN : “TURKISH TROOPS WOULD REMAIN IN CYPRUS FOREVER”

GET READY TO WALK AWAY FROM INCIRLIK

Sourced : Defence One By Charles F. Wald Turkey’s Incirlik airbase has supported America’s most vital strategic needs for more than a half century, first during the Cold War and more recently in the fight against terrorists. Now, as its host country becomes less stable and less friendly to the United States, the best way… Continue reading GET READY TO WALK AWAY FROM INCIRLIK

GAS FINDS MAY LEAD TO ISRAELI ALLIANCE WITH EGYPT, GREECE

epa03010742 epa03010733 An aerial view from a helicopter of the Homer Ferrington rig operated by Noble Energy in the east Mediterranean, drilling in an offshore block on concession from the Cypriot government, 21 November 2011. Houston-based Noble started drilling for gas off Cyprus in September, in the island's first attempt to tap speculated offshore hydrocarbons deposits. Cypriot President Demetris Christofias visited the rig, which started drilling for gas on 21 November. EPA/STR EPA/STR

Experts: Discovery of huge reserves in Mediterranean could lead to cooperation between Israel, Egypt, Greece and Cyprus. By Gil Ronen The discovery of huge reserves of natural gas in the eastern Mediterranean will likely give birth to new alliances in the region, possibly even leading regional powers to “bury old differences and develop unprecedented security,… Continue reading GAS FINDS MAY LEAD TO ISRAELI ALLIANCE WITH EGYPT, GREECE

BRITISH PARLIAMENT APPROVED AIR STRIKES AGAINST ISIS IN SYRIA – FIRST MISSION COMPLETED

A IX(B) Sqn Tornado GR4 training for deployment to Afghanistan. Pictured here on 12 October 2012 is a Tornado GR4 aircraft as it undertakes a training sortie over the North West of England. The Tornado from IX(B) Squardon is preparing for deployed operations over Afghanistan in the near future. The Tornado GR4 is a variable geometry, two-seat, day or night, all-weather attack aircraft capable of delivering a wide variety of weapons. Powered by two Rolls-Royce RB 199 Mk 103 turbofan engines, the GR4 is capable of low-level supersonic flight and can sustain a high subsonic cruise speed. The GR4 typically carries up to a maximum of 5 Paveway IV smart weapons or 2 Stormshadow cruise missiles but can be configured with various weapons, targeting pods and reconnaissance pods simultaneously including the Dual Mode Seeker (DMS) Brimstone, ALARM Mk2 missile, Litening III and the Reconnaissance Airborne Pod TORnado (RAPTOR). The Tornado GR4 is a world leader in the specialised field of all-weather, day and night tactical reconnaissance. The RAPTOR pod is one of the most advanced reconnaissance sensors in the world and greatly increases the effectiveness of the aircraft in the reconnaissance role. Its introduction into service gave the GR4 the ability to transmit real-time, Long Range Oblique Photography (LOROP) to commanders or to view this in cockpit during a mission. The stand-off range of the sensors also allows the aircraft to remain outside heavily defended areas, thus minimising the aircraft’s exposure to enemy air-defence systems. Additional capability in the Non-Traditional Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (NTISR) role is provided by the Litening III RD and the use of the ROVER data link for providing tactical operators with real time Full Motion Video (FMV) in the battle space. The Tornado GR4 is now equipped with the Storm Shadow missile and 2 variants of the Brimstone missile, including the most advanced DMS variant.

British Parliament voted yesterday in favor of bombing ISIS targets in Syria, marking the extension of UK’s operations in the region. The votes were 397 in favor and 223 against and the UK will join France, Jordan, United States and Australia, in their air campaign against ISIS in Syria. Royal Air Force has been bombing… Continue reading BRITISH PARLIAMENT APPROVED AIR STRIKES AGAINST ISIS IN SYRIA – FIRST MISSION COMPLETED

U.S COAST GUARD WILL DONATE TWO PATROL VESSELS TO CYPRUS

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The U.S Coast Guard is planning to donate two patrol vessels from its inventory to the Cypriot Coast Guard. Negotiations between the two states started a year ago and the agreement will be signed before the end of 2015. The vessels will be delivered in 2016 and will enhance the capabilities of the Cypriot Coast… Continue reading U.S COAST GUARD WILL DONATE TWO PATROL VESSELS TO CYPRUS