The National Guard, with the support of the Ministry of Defence, is evolving into a modern, effective, efficient and flexible deterrent force, which is constantly changing and adapting to new technologies and making the most of the resources available from the state, Cyprus’ Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides, said on Tuesday in a press conference at the Presidential Palace.
Petrides said that, in close cooperation with the leadership of the National Guard (NG), his Ministry was working hard for the evolution, modernisation and upgrade of the NG “and in general the safeguarding of our territorial integrity and sovereign rights”.
He thanked the President of the Republic, Nikos Anastasiades, for entrusting him with the Ministry of Defence portfolio and “for his decisive contribution to the great effort to strengthen our deterrent power, both in the armament upgrade and in the strengthening of defence diplomacy”. He also thanked the House Defence Committee and the parliamentary parties for their kind cooperation on all issues.
Responding to a question about strengthening the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus and to an observation that Greece was receiving today the sixth upgraded F16 fighter jet, the Minister said that “Turkish provocation is here and will continue” and “so, we are also adapting accordingly”.
The Republic of Cyprus, as a semi-occupied country, he said, “must have the corresponding equipment and technology for deterrence” and, to this end, “we are working with various countries within and outside the EU, including the USA’.
Invited to comment on the positions and also the refusal of the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the US Senate, Robert Menendez, to approve the sale of F16 fighter jets to Turkey, Petrides said that he considers Menendez’s position and interventions “very important”, adding that he believes that he will not allow Turkey “as long as there is this revisionism against Greece and Cyprus, to arm itself, since we see that there is no corresponding respect for sovereign rights but of international law and the law of the sea”.
Referring to the six pillars on which the strategy implemented by the Ministry of Defence is based, Petrides said that these are the strengthening of the Defence Cooperation relations of the Republic of Cyprus with other states, the strengthening of the operational capacity of the National Guard, the implementation of innovative and reform actions, the improvement of the legislative and regulatory framework governing the army of the Republic of Cyprus and the National Guard, the efficient management of financial resources and the implementation of environmental and energy policy.
For his part, the Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis, noting that, the Turkish provocation is known, emphasised that “defence and security are considered as an investment to achieve the goals of the national survival and well-being of our people”. He assured that the NG and the Ministry of Defence continue to work non-stop to increase the level of readiness and combat power of the NG, “implementing the directions of the state for continuous upgrading, evolvement, and modernisation of our military forces and defence capabilities”.
He also noted that, the NG of 2023 is not that of 2020, while “proper planning has been carried out” so that, they can continue to evolve, in the coming years, and continue to be “a reliable instrument” for the implementation of the political and strategic aspirations of the Republic.
Source: Cyprus News Agency