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Tag: Cyprus

  • Boosting Cyprus’ defense is key so close to the war-wracked Mideast, defense minister says

    Boosting Cyprus’ defense is key so close to the war-wracked Mideast, defense minister says

    NICOSIA, Cyprus — Bolstering Cyprus ‘ defense capacity is critical for the east Mediterranean island nation so close to the war-wrecked Middle East, the country’s defense minister said Tuesday.

    The priority for Cyprus is to procure better defense systems, said Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas. The minister, who spoke to The Associated Press in the nation’s capital of Nicosia, outlined some defense plans though he would not go into specifics about arms procurement programs.

    “The situation in the eastern Mediterranean, with its continuous shifting geostrategic balances and competing interests makes it even more pressing for the island to bolster its defensive capabilities,” Palmas said.

    Meanwhile, a senior government official confirmed to the AP that Cyprus recently received a part of the Israeli-made Barak MX integrated air defense system.

    The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, said he expects the delivery of the rest of the system soon, with the whole system becoming fully operational in mid-2025.

    The Israeli ground-based system is capable of simultaneously intercepting missiles, drones and aircraft from as far as 93 miles (150 kilometers) away, and represents a significant upgrade to Cyprus’ defense shield, which had until recently only consisted of Soviet-era weapons, such as the BUK M1-2 missile system.

    Cyprus in recent years pivoted away from Russian weapons systems as part of a broader, pro-Western strategy to bring the small nation’s armed forces up to EU and NATO standards. The Cypriot president, Nikos Christodoulides, said earlier this month that Cyprus could apply to join NATO with U.S. help, once conditions allow for it.

    Palmas said closer diplomatic and military ties with the United States have enabled Cyprus to leverage its geographic location as the closest European Union member to the Mideast to expand its diplomatic outreach in regional peace efforts and help in providing humanitarian assistance.

    Earlier this year, some 20,000 tons of humanitarian aid was shipped directly to Gaza via a maritime corridor from Cyprus. That effort halted as fighting intensified but efforts are underway to reestablish the supply route, this time via the Israeli port of Ashdod.

    The closer ties with the U.S. in recent years culminated in the lifting of a decades-old arms embargo Washington imposed on ethnically divided Cyprus to prevent an arms race.

    Cyprus’ split came in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup on the island aiming at uniting it with Greece. Turkey continues to maintain more than 35,000 troops in the island’s breakaway, Turkish Cypriot north.

    Following the lifting of the U.S. arms embargo, Cyprus’ elite underwater demolition teams have reportedly been recently supplied with modern, U.S.-made M5 carbines — rifles more suited for special warfare teams.

    Palmas also told the AP that work is underway to enlarge Cyprus’ air base in the island’s southwest, including a longer runway.

    A major upgrade is also in the pipeline, he said, for the Mari naval base on the southern coast, also significantly expanding its facilities to accommodate warships and submarines of allied and friendly countries.

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  • In Cyprus, Ukrainians learn how to dispose of landmines that kill and maim hundreds

    In Cyprus, Ukrainians learn how to dispose of landmines that kill and maim hundreds

    NICOSIA, Cyprus — In a Cypriot National Guard camp, Ukrainians are being trained on how to identify, locate and dispose of landmines and other unexploded munitions that litter huge swaths of their country, killing and maiming hundreds of people, including children.

    Analysts say Ukraine is among the countries that are the most affected by landmines and discarded explosives, as a result of Russia’s ongoing war.

    According to U.N. figures, some 399 people have been killed and 915 wounded from landmines and other munitions since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, equal to the number of casualties reported from 2014-2021. More than 1 in 10 of those casualties have been children.

    The economic impact is costing billions to the Ukrainian economy. Landmines and other munitions are preventing the sowing of 5 million hectares, or 10%, of the country’s agricultural land.

    Cyprus stepped up to offer its facilities as part of the European Union’s Military Assistance Mission to Ukraine. So far, almost 100 Ukrainian armed forces personnel have taken part in three training cycles over the last two years, said Cyprus Foreign Ministry spokesperson Theodoros Gotsis.

    “We are committed to continuing this support for as long as it takes,” Gotsis told the Associated Press, adding that the Cyprus government has covered the 250,000 euro ($262,600) training cost.

    Cyprus opted to offer such training owing to its own landmine issues dating back five decades when the island nation was ethnically divided when Turkey invaded following a coup that sought union with Greece. The United Nations has removed some 27,000 landmines from a buffer zone that cuts across the island, but minefields remain on either side. The Cypriot government says it has disposed of all anti-personnel mines in line with its obligations under an international treaty that bans the use of such munitions.

    In Cyprus, Ukrainians undergo rigorous theoretical and practical training over a five-week Basic Demining and Clearance course that includes instruction on distinguishing and safely handling landmines and other explosive munitions, such as rockets, 155 mm artillery shells, rocket-propelled grenades and mortar shells.

    Theoretical training uses inert munitions identical to the actual explosives.

    Most of the course is comprised of hands-on training focusing on the on-site destruction of unexploded munitions using explosives, the chief training officer told the Associated Press. The officer spoke on condition of anonymity because he’s not authorized to disclose his identity for security reasons.

    “They’re trained on ordnance disposal using real explosives,” the officer said. “That will be the trainees’ primary task when they return.”

    Cypriot officials said the Ukrainian trainees did not want to be either interviewed or photographed.

    Defusing discarded munitions or landmines in areas where explosive charges can’t be used — for instance, near a hospital — is not part of this course because that’s the task of highly trained teams of disposal experts whose training can last as long as eight months, the officer said.

    Trainees, divided into groups of eight, are taught how to operate metal detectors and other tools for detecting munitions like prodders — long, thin rods which are used to gently probe beneath the ground’s surface in search of landmines and other explosive ordnance.

    Another tool is a feeler, a rod that’s used to detect booby-trapped munitions. There are many ways to booby-trap such munitions, unlike landmines which require direct pressure to detonate.

    “Booby-trapped munitions are a widespread phenomenon in Ukraine,” the chief training officer explained.

    Training, primarily conducted by experts from other European Union countries, takes place both in forested and urban areas at different army camps and follows strict safety protocols.

    The short, intense training period keeps the Ukrainians focused.

    “You see the interest they show during instruction: they ask questions, they want to know what mistakes they’ve made and the correct way of doing it,” the officer said.

    Humanitarian data and analysis group ACAPS said in a Jan. 2024 report that 174,000 sq. kilometers (67,182 sq. miles) or nearly 29% of Ukraine’s territory needs to be surveyed for landmines and other explosive ordnance.

    More than 10 million people are said to live in areas where demining action is needed.

    Since 2022, Russian forces have used at least 13 types of anti-personnel mines, which target people. Russia never signed the 1997 Ottawa Convention banning the use of anti-personnel mines, but the use of such mines is nonetheless considered a violation of its obligations under international law.

    Russia also uses 13 types of anti-tank mines.

    The International Campaign to Ban Landmines said in its 2023 Landmine Monitor report that Ukrainian government forces may have also used antipersonnel landmines in contravention of the Mine Ban Treaty in and around the city of Izium during 2022, when the city was under Russian control.

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  • In Cyprus, officials from Algeria to Iraq train to keep WMD from crossing their borders

    In Cyprus, officials from Algeria to Iraq train to keep WMD from crossing their borders

    LARNACA, Cyprus — From as far as Algeria, Iraq and Georgia, an assortment of senior government officials converge on this small facility for training by top U.S. experts to prevent the kinds of materials used to build weapons of mass destruction from crossing their borders.

    In just its third year of operation, the U.S.-funded Cyprus Centre for Land, Open Seas and Port Security (CYCLOPS) has far exceeded expectations. From the dozen courses that officials were initially hoping to hold annually, demand has skyrocketed, with scheduled training sessions for next year expected to surpass 50, says the center’s director Chrysilios Chrysiliou.

    So far, over 2,000 officials from 20 countries including Yemen, Libya, Armenia and Ukraine, have received training on radiological and nuclear detection for customs officers, methods of smuggling weapons of mass destruction, and chemical terrorism investigations among a host of other topics.

    On Monday, a group of Cypriot and Egyptian officials started a two-day seminar on maritime cybersecurity led by the U.S.-based Sandia National Laboratories.

    “This uniqueness has actually brought … a lot of success which could not had been foreseen when Cyclops was initially being created,” Chrysiliou told the Associated Press.

    According to Chrysiliou, key to the center’s success has been the top-notch level of instruction participants receive from U.S.-based experts, including from the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, that specialize in counter-proliferation programs.

    The center also boasts an array of the latest in cutting-edge detectors able to sniff out radiological, chemical and biological agents and explosives that countries in the wider region don’t possess or have access to.

    “Here, the participants have the opportunity to see the latest technology in in detecting all of the range of the threats,” said Chrysiliou. “It’s like a showcase of what exists out in the market.”

    For instance, trainees are taught on how to detect and properly dispose of the radiological elements of discarded medical equipment that militants could use to fashion a weapon. Another emerging threat is the possible use of off-the-shelf drones to disperse chemical or biological agents over populated centers.

    CYCLOPS has been the product of ever-closer Cypriot-U.S. defense and security ties, earning plaudits from U.S. officials all the way up to the White House. During Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides’ meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden last week, the center figured prominently as an example of enhanced bilateral security cooperation.

    The center was built on a $7 million U.S. government grant, $2 million of which was for the purchase of border security equipment. The island nation’s proximity to the Middle East was seen as an asset to helping train officials from the region, whose options for such training would otherwise be very limited. The Cypriot government has secured another $5.6 million in European Union funding to expand the center and purchase additional high-tech equipment.

    “There’s such a huge interest by different agencies of the U.S. and the U.N. too, because they have seen the value of utilizing CYCLOPS because of its proximity to their neighboring countries,” Chrysiliou said.

    Another selling point for the center is that it’s situated a stone’s throw away from Cyprus’ main international airport of Larnaca and is close to top-flight accommodations that this tourism-reliant country is known for.

    The center’s managers want to procure an expansive virtual reality system enabling officials to safely train on biological, chemical and radiological agents. Chrysiliou liaises daily with Kevin Keeler from the U.S. State Department’s Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) program, who called the VR system a “game-changer.”

    Although the center does have small quantities of radiological and other dangerous substances for training, a virtual simulator would greatly enhance the center’s training capacity.

    “We’ve already put the word out about this new virtual simulator and we have agencies like, okay, how can we get on the schedule next year when it’s not even been built yet? Yes, because it’s a big factor in today’s world,” said Keeler.

    It’s still early days for the center to count on headline-grabbing cases where WMD materials have been seized at any given border. Chrysiliou said what’s equally important in acting as a potent deterrent is to send out the message that trained professionals “have the means and the ways to check and stop you.”

    “So if we teach Iraqis or Yemenis or Libyans or from other countries to do a better job in controlling their borders, in controlling the dispersion of weapons of mass destruction … it makes their citizens much safer and more secure,” said Chrysiliou.

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