The Embassy of Australia in Beirut presented on Tuesday to Cyprus Center for Land, Open-seas, and Port Security (CYCLOPS) eight virtual reality training systems, worth 50 thousand Australian dollars. Speaking during a ceremony, ?hmad Mian, of the Australian Embassy in Beirut said that he has visited CYCLOPS in September 2022 and has since remained in regular contact with the team at the centre noting that as he was learning "more about CYCLOPS and the amazing work undertaken here, it became clear to me that support from the Australian Home Affairs was both timely and appropriate and mutual interests in combating illegal migration of people and goods helped us to secure this project." He said that he visited the centre last month together with Home Affairs Minister counsellor Michelle Pierce and Chrisilios Chrysiliou, director of CYCLOPS, gave them an overview of the benefits of the training provided to the region and beyond. "It has become clear how important Cyprus is for many in the region whether respon ding to the need for humanitarian support or being a place of safety for near evacuations", Mian said. He added that "Australians' contribution to CYCLOPS recognises that increasingly important role" and for this reason Australia donated the equipment. In his address, Yiannis Eftihiou, attache at the Security Policy Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that trainings follow the 'Train the Trainers' model, enabling Cypriots to become trainers themselves, and officials from partner countries to become trainers of the different programmes in their home countries. "Hence, via CYCLOPS, Cyprus contributes to the establishment of a network of skilled security practitioners promoting and circulating the acquired know-how and expertise. It is also noted that participation is the result of invitation by the organizers of each training course. CYCLOPS is therefore at the disposal of the partners of Cyprus that wish to use its facilities and equipment for the provision of training." More recently, he sa id, "due to the recent operationalisation of the Cypriot Maritime Corridor (Amalthea Initiative), CYCLOPS, its staff, infrastructure and specialized detectors have been heavily utilized to assure highest efficiency in the screening of the aid to Gaza both at the port of Larnaca and also at its compounds, as a secondary inspection area. It is not an overstatement to say that CYCLOPS's participation is crucial to the success of the maritime humanitarian corridor." Planning ahead, both as regards to the ever-growing normal training schedule of CYCLOPS (in collaboration with -among others- the US Department of State , Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defence), as well as the utilization of CYCLOPS as an integral part of the maritime humanitarian corridor, said Eftihiou, "we are working on different scenarios for expanding and improving our facilities and infrastructure to be able to accommodate bigger trainings, for introducing the latest technologies in simulated trainings an d for strengthening our cooperation with international organizations like the World Customs Organization and others." He expressed sincere gratitude to the Australian Embassy in Beirut for its valuable contributions to CYCLOPS, which will definitely assist the Center in upgrading its capacity and ability to offer trainings of the highest quality, thus fulfilling its potential. He also expressed appreciation for Australia's High Commissioner's efforts to further enhance relations between Cyprus and Australia, and to highlight the historic and amical relations that exist between the two countries, based on shared principles and values, such as liberal democracy and adherence to the UN Charter and international law. "Cyprus is firmly committed to the further enhancing of our collaboration and believes that there are significant opportunities for both countries to explore in the future", Eftihiou concluded. CYCLOPS Director, Chrysilios Chrysiliou in his speech, referred to the equipment and noted that "it is a new way, with modern technology, of safe training of issues that involve risk for the trainee as well as for the trainer. These include training on radiological, biological, chemical and explosive issues or in environments where there may be a danger to life, such as counter-terrorism." In the virtual world, he continued, "in which both the trainer and the trainee enter, we can submit as many scenarios as we want, without worrying if they make a mistake because quite simply everything is virtual. In other words, the system develops our capabilities to another level so that we can better execute our mission." Source: Cyprus News Agency
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