Cyprus' support for the idea of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, for the creation of the position of EU Commissioner for Defense matters, was expressed on Tuesday by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulidis, in the context of his visit to the Kommorotsos police station, in Kokkinotrimithia, ahead of the Easter holidays. President Christodoulidis was accompanied by the Government Spokesman, Konstantinos Letympiotis, the Minister of Defense, Vassilis Palmas, and the Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Georgios Tsitsikostas.
Earlier, the President of the Republic, and his entourage, had visited the "Lieutenant General Tasos Markos" camp in Klirou, where the President announced a review of the terms of employment, promotion and salary upgrade of the institution of Contractual Soldiers (SYOP) and the reinstatement of the of the allowance for students in the Production Schools of Greece.
"Strengthening the strength of the National Guard is a top priority"
During his visit to the "Lieutenant General Tassos Markos" camp in Klirou, the President of the Republic said, addressing the personnel of the Second Infantry Brigade, that "our country proves through very specific actions that it is a pillar of security and stability in the wider region Middle East, an area of particular geostrategic importance".
At the same time, he added that Cyprus, a member of the EU, has been under occupation for 50 years, stressing that "as long as we are under occupation, strengthening the strength of the National Guard is a top priority for all Governments of the Republic of Cyprus".
For our own Government, continued the President of the Republic, "strengthening the deterrent power of the National Guard begins with all of you, the draftees and officers of the National Guard".
"As I promised before my election, we are moving forward with the resolution of an issue that I know very well has been preoccupying the National Guard, said President Christodoulidis. "All the relevant Ministries have agreed to the review of the terms of employment, promotion and salary upgrade of the institution of SYOP (Contracted Airmen), an institution that was announced in the context of our effort to operate a semi-professional army", he explained.
"In the next Council of Ministers we will proceed with specific decisions, which do not only concern new officers who will be employed in the National Guard as SYOP, but also all of you who are serving today", he noted, adding that "our decisions are at the basis of the discussion and of the dialogue the Government had with all of you".
At the same time, continued the President, we decided to restore the amount of the allowance to students in the Production Schools of Greece. He said that "the allowance was reduced by 50% in 2013 and today the amount is doubled, because we consider your training in the Production Schools to be particularly important".
“I am here today in a camp that I am sure you are proud to serve. The camp is named after Tasos Markos, a hero of the Republic of Cyprus and I think you all know his path to serve in this unit. It sends examples and messages about how we should behave", he pointed out.
After wishing a Happy Resurrection, the President of the Republic noted that the current administration is next to the National Guard. "For us, the National Guard and the needs of the personnel, whether in terms of infrastructure or equipment, are very high in our priorities," he concluded.
The Commander of the Second Infantry Brigade, Brigadier Alcibiades Alcibiades, presented the President of the Republic with an icon of the Resurrection, on the back of which is written a wish for the President of the Republic to bring the resurrection of Cyprus this year. He also presented the Minister of Defense with a plaque of the formation of the Second Infantry Brigade.
"The EU's defense and security pillar must be strengthened"
During his visit to the outpost "Kommorotsos", in Kokkinotrimithia, President Christodoulidis thanked the drafted soldiers of the outpost for their service and wished them a Happy Resurrection. "As long as our homeland is under occupation, we have a duty to you and to the new generations to strengthen the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus," he noted.
"At the same time, the Republic of Cyprus is a member state of the EU. We are one of those member states that believe that the defense and security pillar of the EU should be strengthened even more", stressed President Christodoulidis. "We want the Republic of Cyprus through the National Guard to participate in EU missions and we are working, together with other states that have the same approach as us, to further strengthen the defense and security sector of the EU," he underlined.
In addition, he expressed his support for the idea of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, to create the position of Commissioner for Defense Affairs, which mainly concerns the defense industry of the European Union, expressing the belief that this position will further strengthen the EU's defense and security pillar.
Furthermore, the President of the Republic said that 2024 is a year with important milestones, which is on the one hand the completion of 50 years since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, stressing that "the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus is a key component of our policy", and on the other hand the completion of 20 years since the accession of Cyprus to the EU, which, as he said, "is the most important success of the Republic of Cyprus since its foundation".
Source: KYPE
