Greek Cypiots, Greece and France hold first ever joint drills
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Greece and France kicked off on Monday the first ever joint military exercises with Greek Cypriots off the coast of the ethnically divided Mediterranean island despite objections from the Turkish Cypriots, the AFP reported.
The search and rescue drills codenamed "Argonaut" are the first between the three nations and will be held until June 6, the Cyprus defence ministry said. They are being conducted in the island's Greek Cypriot side and in international waters in the Mediterranean, and involve naval and air forces. Â
The troops will also train on coping with mass sea evacuation, as Greek Cypriots did in 2006 when more than 50,000 people fled a Hezbollah-Israel war in Lebanon and were ferried to the island, the AFP added.
Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Turgay Avci urged last week France to pull out of the exercise, saying France's participation in the exercises can not be seen as a sign of goodwill at a time when France is preparing to take over the EU presidency and when a negotiation process is under way in Cyprus.
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