President Nikos Christodoulides on Thursday said it is “up to Turkey” to meet the conditions set out om the European Union’s Security Action for Europe (Safe) defence procurement programme.

Speaking ahead of the day’s European Political Community summit in Copenhagen, he told journalists that during his earlier meeting with Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, he had discussed “the participation of Nato member states” in the Safe mechanism.

“I reiterated the common position of the European Union that Nato member states which violate the sovereignty [and] territorial integrity of [EU] member states cannot in any way benefit from this tool,” he said.

“More specifically, as regards Turkey, it is up to Turkey, if it wants to participate in this very important instrument. The condition is that there be positive specific developments on the Cyprus issue, and it is up to Turkey to take these steps.”

At the same time, he said that in any future cooperation between the EU and Nato, there must be “no restrictions for any of the 27 member states of the European Union”.

Speaking more broadly about European defence, he said that “it is important as a European Union that we have moved beyond discussions and have moved forwards with specific actions”.

To this end, he said further strengthening of Europe’s defence capabilities will be a priority when Cyprus undertakes the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency in the first half of next year.

He then returned his attention to Cyprus’ own defence capabilities, pointing out that the country secured over €1 billion of funding for military hardware through the Safe programme.

Additionally, he made reference to the fact that Cyprus was authorised by the United States to buy military hardware directly from the country’s government, before expressing his wish to “strengthen the very good, promising Cypriot defence industry”.

Cyprus’ domestic defence industry, he said, “has enormous prospects for cooperation both with European Union member states and with countries in the region”.

He added that for this reason, the government has now decided that “the Republic of Cyprus’ purchase of armament programmes must also require the participation of Cypriot defence industries at a rate of at least 15 per cent”.

Later, he spoke of how the EU needs to have a “360-degree perspective”.

“Yes, the issues of Ukraine are particularly important, but at the same time, as the European Union, in matters of defence and security in particular, we should be protagonists in other regions as well.”

He said that this must entail the planned upgrades to both the Andreas Papandreou airbase in Paphos and the Evangelos Florakis naval base in Mari, with Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas having earlier said that the upgrades at Mari may cost in excess of €200 million.

Upgrades to the airbase, he said, would only cost between €10m and €14m, “depending on the outcome of the recommendations and proposals which will be made”.

Christodoulides’ insistence to Rutte that Turkey meet conditions to be allowed access to the Safe programme comes after Greek newspaper Kathimerini had reported that Rutte had “signalled support” for Turkish participation in the programme during a meeting with EU ambassadors.

He had reportedly argued that “engagement” between the EU and Turkey “is essential for stronger Nato cooperation”.

The Safe programme is open to all 27 EU member states, as well as the four European Economic Area States – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – and Ukraine, as well as six other countries which have signed common defence agreements with the EU – Albania, Japan, Moldova, North Macedonia, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

Turkey would be eligible to sign an agreement similar to that of the UK with the EU and gain access to the Safe programme, but defence agreements require unanimity among EU member states.