Sixty years since its establishment, the National Guard has taken on a new multifaceted role and the challenges to which it is called upon to respond are many and multifaceted, the Minister of Defense Vassilis Palmas said today.
In his greeting at the swearing-in of the newly recruited hoplites of the 2024 ESSO held at the "Grigoris Auxentiou" camp in Kosi, the Minister sent his best wishes "to our two hoplites who are recovering, as well as to their families. I wish with all my heart a speedy recovery and a quick return to us."
The National Guard, said Vassilis Palmas, "60 years since its establishment and 50 years since the barbaric Turkish invasion of 1974, it has taken on a new multifaceted role. The challenges to which it is called upon to respond are many and multidimensional" he said and noted that "as the Ministry of Defense we aim at its evolution into a flexible, semi-professional army, which will continue to be able to respond to the modern operational environment".
Addressing the young National Guardsmen, he said that "feeling the burden of the historical responsibility that we bear as the Hellenism of Cyprus, I express the congratulations of the State for your joining the great family of the National Guard and your active contribution to the preservation of national security, the defense of the territorial integrity of our country and the consolidation of a sense of security among our fellow citizens".
Today, he continued, "is a big step and an important milestone, which will determine the future career and life" of the young National Guardsmen, adding that their decision to serve their military service is not just a fulfillment of their constitutional obligation, but also a resounding statement of their unwavering commitment to the freedom and security of our homeland.
He even invited them to be "proud" of the opportunity given to them to serve in the National Guard and because their grandfathers and fathers did the same before them and their own children will do the same later.
Be also proud, the Minister of Defense continued, "because in the same positions that you are standing today, fifty years ago, the hero fighters of Cyprus stood in the betrayed, black summer of 1974. Those who rushed to defend the freedom of our homeland, against all odds obviously against them, against the Turkish invader.
At the same time, he called on the young National Guardsmen to respond to these challenges with calmness, courage and dedication, to embrace the military virtues of patriotism, bravery, determination, military spirit and above all discipline, to set high but achievable goals and seek to to succeed and above all to put their own safety and that of their colleagues.
Addressing the families of the soldiers, the Minister of Defense congratulated them on the new chapter that is opening in the lives of their children, invited them to continue to support them throughout their military service, assuring at the same time that "from the day of their enlistment and for as long as they are in the National Guard, they are also our children and that we will make every possible effort to ensure that they are completely safe throughout this time."
The Minister of Defense congratulated "the administrations of the Formations and Units of the National Guard, as well as all the officers of the force who participated in the process of ranking and training the soldiers of the 2024 ESSO, for its conduct and the smooth and rapid adaptation of our national guards to military environment".
In his Order of the Day, the Chief of the General Staff of the National Guard Lieutenant General George Tsitsikostas, addressing the new National Guards said that by joining the Force they undertake "the most important and serious obligation towards the State of Cyprus" to defend freedom and independence with loyalty and devotion of her, adding that the Republic of Cyprus entrusts them with the uniform and the coat of arms and expects you to honor their oath, with conscientiousness and commitment.
He also stated that the military service of the new national guardsmen "will be a particularly special and useful experience" while he assured their parents and relatives that from today "they are also part of our own family, the military family, which has always accepted the children of Cypriot society and utilizes them with love, justice, respect and with a view to the overall good of the National Guard, but also of the Homeland.
As the Chief said "the National Guard, the hard power component par excellence of the Republic of Cyprus, for 60 years has been dedicated to its mission, to ensure the independence and territorial integrity of Cyprus. The existence of an occupying army for 50 years and the constantly evolving Turkish provocation, with which our vital interests are affected, imposes constant vigilance, no complacency is allowed," he noted.
After saying that "our Cyprus does not have armies to oppose" he added that "it has its children, few and chosen. The security of our homeland is in the hands of capable and determined soldiers" he concluded.
Source: KYPE