The aim of creating an international training centre for search and rescue operations has been achieved, the Commander of Cyprus’ Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) Andreas Charalambides said, addressing on Friday evening the training facility’s inaugural ceremony, in the presence of Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades.
The ceremony was also attended by the Ministers of Defence, Transport, the Deputy Minister for Shipping, the National Guard Chief, foreign Ambassadors and foreign military attaches.
In his address, Charalambides said that the centre features innovative equipment and specialised simulation systems, implementing the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to cover the training gap in search and rescue operation in the European area. At the same time, he went on, it is fully covering the increased training needs for JRCC staff, that is involved in search and rescue operations due to increased migration flows in the region.
Charalambides said that the centre started since 2016 to create the necessary conditions and infrastructure for staff training, rendering Cyprus as a hub for training in search and rescue operations both in the Eastern Mediterranean and Europe in general.
The JRCC Commander assured that the Republic of Cyprus “can boast over a contemporary Search and Rescue training centre which as of today is placed at the disposal of the international community.”
“A centre which may constitute an important tool in our country’s effort to become a pillar of security and stability in the wider region of the Eastern Mediterranean,” he concluded.
Source: Cyprus News Agency