Minister heads to Israel

DEFENCE Minister Demetris Eliades will travel to Israel today following an invitation from his Israeli counterpart, Ehud Barak.

According to an official announcement, this would be the first ever official visit of a Cypriot defence minister to Israel.

During his stay, Eliades will sign agreements on defence cooperation and protection and exchange of classified information.

Eliades will also meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and the Patriarch of Jerusalem Theofilos.

Meanwhile on Monday, a main opposition DISY delegation headed by party chief Nicos Anastassiades will also be travelling to Israel for talks with Israeli officials.

The trip follows an invitation from Foreign Minister Lieberman, DISY said.

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.