Minister of Defence meets Slovak counterpart

MINISTER of Defence Costas Papacostas met his Slovak counterpart Lubomir Galko in Cyprus yesterday.

They discussed issues of common interest, recent developments in the Cyprus problem, the excellent co-operation between the two countries, as well as the possibility of further strengthening bilateral relations in defence matters.

Papacostas thanked the Slovak minister for the interest demonstrated by his country to maintain peace in Cyprus with the participation of 210 Slovak soldiers in the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

Galko assured the Cypriot Minister that despite the financial crisis Slovakia is not going to reduce the number of soldiers participating in UNFICYP.

The Cyprus Minister of Defence also extended an invitation to his counterpart to visit the island officially in December, since he will be also visiting Slovak soldiers based here before Christmas.

The Slovak Minister of Defence is visiting the island on the occasion of the celebrations of 50 years since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.