NICOSIA -- Cyprus and Russia have agreed to deepen cooperation in defence matters, as Moscow requests facilities for Russian Navy vessels.

The Minister of Defence Photis Photiou met today with his counterpart Sergey Shoigu in the Russian capital, extending to him an invitation for an official visit to the island in 2013. Shoigu has accepted the invitation.

According to an official announcement, the meeting between the two Ministers was “constructive and productive”. The two sides agreed to update a Defence Cooperation Agreement and sign another agreement to facilitate Russian citizens in the case of emergency evacuation.

Photiou briefed his counterpart on the latest developments concerning the Cyprus issue and the financial crisis. The two men also talked about defence matters, developments in Syria and the Middle East.

The Cypriot Minister said moreover that Nicosia was ready to respond positively to Moscow’s request concerning its navy vessels, adding that this is a standard practice, followed in the case of a series of other countries as well.

Moreover, Photiou met with Head of the State Duma Defence Committee Vladimir Komoedov and addressed an international conference on European security.

On the sidelines of the conference, Photiou met briefly with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the Defence Ministers of France and Greece, Jean – Yves Le Drian and Panos Panagiotopoulos respectively.