The meetings come amid heightened tensions in the region and as Greece moves to reinforce Cyprus’s defence capabilities.

Dendias was scheduled to meet Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia at 11am, followed by talks with Palmas at noon.

According to the defence minister, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had already held a telephone conversation with Christodoulides on Monday, while Dendias himself had been in continuous contact with his Cypriot counterpart in recent days.

‘Following the unprovoked attacks on the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, I assured Mr Palmas that Greece, throughout the current crisis, will contribute in every possible way to the defence of the Republic of Cyprus, so that threats and illegal actions on its territory can be addressed,’ Dendias said.

Greek naval and air deployments

Under a decision by Greece’s Government Council for Foreign Affairs and Defence (KYSEA), the frigates Kimon and Psara have been deployed to Cyprus. The second frigate is equipped with the Kentaurus counter-unmanned aerial vehicle system.

The two vessels departed on Tuesday morning from the Paronaxia sea area and are expected to arrive in Limassol on Wednesday.

At the same time, four Hellenic Air Force F-16 fighter jets have been placed on five-minute readiness at Paphos airport, tasked with responding immediately to potential threats approaching Cypriot airspace. The aircraft are stationed at the ‘Andreas Papandreou’ air base in Paphos.

Although recent incidents have primarily targeted military bases on the island operated by the United Kingdom, the Greek government says the deployments are intended to strengthen the defence of Cyprus.

Patriot system moved to Karpathos

In parallel, Greece has decided to transfer a Patriot air-defence missile battery to the island of Karpathos as part of broader efforts to reinforce regional air defence amid rising tensions in the Middle East.

Meanwhile, increased activity was reported at the British base in Akrotiri on Monday night. A Cypriot government source told AFP that the drones which struck the base were Iranian-made and had been launched from neighbouring Lebanon.

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