Our basic task and mission is to defend national security and the interests of Cyprus, said Defence Minister Haralambos Petridis.
Speaking on Thursday at the National Guard Air Command Conference, the Minister expressed the hope that this conference will become an institution for years to come, as it will contribute to the creation of best practices and ideas for the future, adding that the presence of distinguished speakers and guests from more than 11 countries proves the importance of its thematic areas.
The Minister said that the Republic of Cyprus supports the various defence initiatives within the European Union and promotes its defence cooperation with countries in the region.
At the same time, he added, our basic task and mission is to defend the national security and interests of Cyprus, mitigate the threat we face from Turkish revisionism, strengthen our resilience and create a capable deterrent force to protect our citizens and our sovereign rights.
The Minister said that Cyprus is actively participating in the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO) in numerous projects of the European Defence Agency, and in Research and Innovation projects of the European Defence Fund.
He also stressed that Cyprus is participating in a significant number of projects aimed at improving the Air Force taking into account technological developments and the need for interoperability and added that we have also significantly modified the national defence planning processes.
In addition, he said that in recent years we have also increased our overall defence spending, reaching almost 2 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product, even in 2021, when the pandemic had put a strain on public finances.
To this end, he added, we will continue to take advantage of the synergies and opportunities offered by the European Defence Fund.
The Air Force of tomorrow should be an important tool for the formulation of our strategic objectives and the achievement of our civil and military level, he continued.
In conclusion, he reiterated that it is the commitment of the Ministry of Defence that the input of experts, operational, academic and defence industry will guide any decisions taken in defence planning, saying that the vision for a better and more effective military is mutual.
Source: CNA
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