The goal is to reach 2% in spending in relation to the armament programs of the National Guard, the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulidis, said on Thursday, noting that as long as the ongoing illegal Turkish occupation exists, the strengthening of the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus it is not only a priority, but a minimal obligation towards the Cypriot people.
In the morning, President Christodoulidis attended a demonstration of the operational capabilities of the National Guard, which was held as part of the events for the 60th anniversary of its establishment, in the area of Zygiou.
In his greeting, he said that, "when we talk about Defense issues, many words are unnecessary".
"As long as the ongoing illegal Turkish occupation exists, strengthening the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus is not only our priority, but a minimal obligation towards the Cypriot people," he said.
At the same time, however, he continued, as a member state of the European Union, "as a member state that claims to have a specific reason and role in the EU, the strengthening of the National Guard is one of our most decisive goals, in order to achieve what we want together with our partners in the EU".
He noted that as Secretary of State he felt "first hand", that without a strong defense the footprint in foreign policy is clearly smaller. "And I am particularly happy for all the steps that have been taken in recent years," said President Christodoulidis assuring "that we will continue and strengthen even more our efforts to strengthen the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus, a deterrent power that I have the strong belief that it starts first and foremost with National Guard personnel."
It is for this reason, he added, "that one of our first actions was to solve a problem that had been pending for too many years in the right effort of this country to create a semi-professional army with the institution of Contracted Hoplites, where we received daring decisions to face a challenge that also affected the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus, because we invested significantly in some new officers, who, precisely because of the data that existed, left the National Guard at the first opportunity".
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 Commissioner for Defense matters The European Union". "And if our great European family really wants to strengthen its international footprint, wants to have a say and a role in international events, it should strengthen its defense spending," added President Christodoulidis.
Noting that most of the member states are NATO member states which, as he mentioned, 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 all we are talking about 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 states, such as France, "with which we have the same approach in relation to this need of the European Union, but at the same time we are working to strengthen our relations with United States".
In fact, said President Christodoulidis, "defense and security issues have brought us closer, as have the challenges of the region." "These challenges that the Republic of Cyprus with its role - a role that also touches your role of the National Guard - prove in practice that they are part of the solution and not part of the problem," he added.
In 1964, he noted, when the National Guard was established, its role was limited exclusively to Defense matters. Today, the role of the National Guard is clearly multifaceted because it is not limited to Defense issues, but also extends to terrorism issues, immigration issues, the great effort to create conditions of security and stability in the region, he said.
President Christodoulidis assured that, as he had promised before the election, "our goal is to reach 2% in spending in relation to the equipment programs of the National Guard, not the budget of the Ministry of Defense, but the equipment programs of our National Guard".
He also mentioned that I am particularly proud as President of the Republic of Cyprus, but also previously as Minister of Foreign Affairs, when he visited the neighboring states, Jordan, Israel, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and heard from his interlocutors "the best for the level of our National Guard, the officers of our National Guard".
