Minister of Defence, Vasilis Palmas, said Thursday that the Ministry will continue to pursue the upgrading and modernisation of the National Guard’s deterrence and operational capabilities.
Addressing the official celebrations for Agios Georgios at the “Elias Papakyriakou’ military camp, in Nicosia, the Minister said that strengthening our defence shield is a top priority, given the current situation where Ankara’s aggressive policy leads to further instability and uncertainty and questioning of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Cyprus.
For this very reason, he continued, the Ministry will continue to pursue the upgrading and modernization of the deterrent capabilities and the operational capacity of the National Guard.
Palmas underlined that 50 years have passed since the Turkish invasion against Cyprus, noting that time has by no means mitigated the effects of the barbaric Turkish invasion. The Minister pointed out Turkey’s violation of fundamental human rights and its intransigent stance rega
rding Cyprus’ efforts to lift the deadlock and resume the Cyprus talks.
An effort, he said, which aims at a sincere and constructive dialogue, with the ultimate goal of resolving the Cyprus issue, and thus lead Cyprus to the path of growth and progress.
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 Holguín in January 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