NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus’ defense minister said Wednesday there are plans to build a large naval base on the southern coast of the Eastern Mediterranean. The naval base would be able to receive large ships from EU and other countries to carry out various missions, including humanitarian aid deliveries to the troubled Middle East region.
Vasilis Palmas told reporters that Cyprus’s recently increased geopolitical role as the closest EU member state to the Middle East justifies the construction of infrastructure that can support policies targeting the region.
Cyprus has been the scene of the collection and delivery of donated humanitarian aid to war-torn Gaza. The aid is shipped from the Cypriot port of Larnaca to the Palestinian territory after it has been screened. Last year, Cyprus served as a transit point for third-country nationals evacuated from Sudan.
Palmas said the construction of the base would make a “decisive contribution” to the implementation of policies in the region.
He said Greece is contributing technical knowledge to the project, while the actual construction will be guided by the findings of an expert study that will be completed in the coming days.
The naval base will be built on an existing naval base approximately 25 kilometres east of the coastal city of Limassol, where a huge explosion of 480 tons of seized Iranian gunpowder, killing 13 people, knocking out Cyprus’s main power plant and sparking a political crisis.
