Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides and British High Commissioner to Cyprus Irfan Siddiq on Thursday delivered their final remarks on the fifth annual Strategic Leadership Programme in Cyprus, which lasted five days.

Attended by military professionals from Cyprus, Greece, Jordan, Israel, Egypt and the UK, the programme focused on enhancing strategic leadership and management awareness at corporate strategic levels across the defence and the wider security sector.

“The UK and Cyprus defence relationship is strong, and we have shared defence and security challenges with mutual interest in ensuring stability in the Eastern Mediterranean,” Siddiq said.

“Joint education and training initiatives like the Strategic Leadership Programme are essential and we are proud to jointly deliver such important training with the Republic of Cyprus.

“The breadth of bilateral cooperation is growing across all domains. The UK and Cyprus are delivering increased joint training, capability, and education opportunities,” the High Commissioner concluded.

Representatives from the Cyprus National Guard, the UK Defence Academy and Cranfield University, famous for its defence education programmes, took part in the event.