The goal is to reach 2% in spending in relation to the armament programmes of the National Guard, Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides, said on Thursday, noting that, as long as the illegal Turkish occupation is ongoing, strengthening the deterrent power of the Cypriot Democracy was not only a priority, but an obligation towards the Cypriot people.
President Christodoulides attended in the morning, a demonstration of the operational capabilities of the National Guard, in the area of Zygi, which was held as part of the events for the 60th anniversary of its establishment.
In his greeting, he said that, as long as the illegal Turkish occupation is ongoing, strengthening the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus is not only a priority, but an obligation towards the Cypriot people.
At the same time, however, he added, as a member state of the EU, and one that wants to have a specific say and role in the bloc, ‘strengthening the National Guard is one of our most decisive goals, in order to achieve what w
e want together with our partners in the EU.’
Referring to the European dimension, he noted that ‘it was our own persistence, together with some other member states, that led the President of the Commission to announce, for the first time, and to proceed in the immediate future with the appointment of a European Commissioner for Defence’.
‘And if our great European family truly wants to strengthen its international footprint, wants to have a say and a role in international affairs, it should strengthen its defence spending’, President Christodoulides added.
Noting that most of the EU member states were NATO member states, which, as he said, is a partner, an ally in the effort to face international challenges, ‘but at the same time, if we as the EU want to look to the future with optimism, to claim the role that we all are talking about, that a geopolitical Europe, we must collectively work to strengthen the EU’s defence.’
He referred to the cooperation of the Republic of Cyprus ‘with several’ EU member st
ates, such as France, with which, he said, Nicosia has the same approach in relation to this, noting at the same time that Cyprus was also working to strengthen its relations with United States.
In fact, said President Christodoulides, ‘defence and security issues have brought us closer, as have the challenges of the region’, adding that the Republic of Cyprus with its role, has proven that it was part of the solution and not part of the problem.
In 1964, he noted, when the National Guard was established, its role was limited exclusively to defence matters, whereas today, the role of the National Guard was a multifaceted one as it also extends to other issues such as terrorism, immigration and ‘the great effort to create conditions of security and stability in the region’.
President Christodoulides assured that, as he had promised during his election campaign, ‘our goal is to reach 2% in spending in relation to the armament programmes of the National Guard’.
He also said that he was particularly proud as
President of the Republic of Cyprus, but also when he was Foreign Minister, to hear from his interlocutors when visiting neighbouring states, ‘the best’ about the level of Cyprus’ National Guard and its officers.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.
Source: Cyprus News Agency
