Greek, Egyptian, Cypriot defense ministers meeting in Athens

The defense ministers of Greece, Egypt and Cyprus are meeting in Athens on Tuesday before heading to Crete the following day to observe Medusa 9 exercise.

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos will be welcoming his Egyptian and Cypriot counterparts Mohamed Zaki and Savvas Angelidis in Athens to discuss defense and security cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean within the context of a relatively new tripartite partnership.

The defense ministers will then travel to Crete on Wednesday for the final day of Medusa 9, a military training exercise involving the Egyptian, Greek and Cypriot armed forces that began in the Mediterranean on Sunday.

Greece is seeking to bolster its presence in the Eastern Mediterranean by participating in such exercises, including the multinational Blue Flag, or on an ad hoc basis such as the recent operation to escort an American...