Addressing the annual General Assembly of the Cyprus Army Officers Association held tonight in Corno, Petridis said that "officers are the backbone of the National Guard, as they are charged with demanding tasks that require conscientiousness, high level of training, mental fortitude, and dedication."
"The National Guard relies on the skills and dedication of its personnel," he said, noting that "the high level of personnel is a strong factor in order to continue to perform its role as a deterrent force against any kind of aggression."
To this end, he continued, "as the Ministry of Defence, we have set goals that aim to strengthen the defence of the country, as well as to improve the functioning of the Ministry's structures."
To this end, he continued, "as the Ministry of Defence, we have set goals that aim to strengthen the defence of the country, as well as to improve the functioning of the Ministry's structures.
In relation to the strengthening of the operational capacity of the National Guard, the Defence Minister said that "with steady steps we are implementing the armament programme drawn up in cooperation with the General Staff, in a continuous effort to modernise and upgrade its deterrent capacity against threats from the ground, air and sea".
In his address, Petridis also referred to the budget of the Ministry of Defence and noted that "for this year it is at the highest financial level in the last 20 years. The efficient management of financial resources can be seen in the absorption rate of the budget, with an increase from 94% to 96%."
Regarding defence cooperation relations with other states, the Minister noted that "in an effort to armour ourselves against ever-increasing Turkish challenges and emerging asymmetric threats, we have developed bilateral and trilateral defence and security partnerships with 16 regional and European countries and other major actors in the region, such as the UK and the US. It goes without saying that our cooperation with Greece is at its highest possible level."
Very important, he described the "development in the implementation of this strategy, is the quadrilateral cooperation between Cyprus, Greece, Italy and France, which in addition to strengthening the outward-looking policy of the Republic of Cyprus has yielded direct and tangible results in the effort to define the Eastern Mediterranean region as an area of interest for the European Union."
He also noted that "the extroversion of our defence policy is an undeniable reality and a consequence of our upgraded level of ambition to make Cyprus a reliable partner, with a more active role in defence cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Large-scale regional, bilateral, trilateral and quadrilateral exercises, co-training and personnel exchanges contribute to the development of inter-functionality, a spirit of cooperation and the consolidation of conditions of security, stability, development and prosperity."
In addition, he continued, "we have upgraded cooperation with the US. In addition to the complete lifting of the embargo, which is a major diplomatic success, we are continuously participating in the International Military Training (IMET) program. Through this, we provide training on military practices and strengthen military and broader cooperation by training National Guard personnel in the United States."
In his address, the Defence Minister also said that "we have concluded a Bilateral Agreement for the Provision of Services and Administration (ACSA), while on 30 September 2022, the US Department of State announced our country's accession to the State Partnership Programme (SPP) with the State of New Jersey as a contractor. A program that will provide the National Guard with the opportunity to acquire expertise, scientific knowledge and continuous access to modern developments in military matters."
He also described the "signing of a bilateral cooperation program with Germany and the appointment of a Defense Attaché for the first time at the Embassy of the Republic of Cyprus in Berlin as an important step."
Regarding the actions and plans for the implementation of innovative and reform actions, Mr. Petrides said that "we support financially and administratively the participation of Cypriot entities in 17 programmes of the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) and the European Defence Fund (EDF). In cooperation with the Research and Innovation Foundation (RDI) we have recently launched new research and development projects in dual-use technologies, raising a total of 3 million euros. In his address, the Minister of Defence referred, inter alia, to the fact that "the interconnection with the Cyprus Police Force has definitively solved the problem of the identification and conscription of unregistered reservists."
The Minister of Defence also referred to the fact that "the interconnection with the Cyprus Police Force has definitively solved the problem of the identification and conscription of unregistered reservists. Since the start of the system for the identification of reservists, a total of 10,600 FAPs have been served."
He also referred to the improvement of the legislative and regulatory framework, saying that "actions have been taken to combat desertion, which has been reduced to 1.8%, through the possibility given to the CIO by legislation to check, before issuing a health card, whether an athlete meets the necessary recruitment criteria."
He also referred to the improvement of the legislative and regulatory framework, saying that "actions have been taken to combat desertion, which has been reduced to 1.8%, through the possibility given to the CIO by legislation, to check, before issuing a health card, whether an athlete meets the necessary recruitment criteria.
Among other things, Charalambos Petrides said "the pension issue of Contracted Petty Officers was finally resolved with the assistance of the Ministry of Finance and the Defence Committee, while an amendment to the existing legislation was recently passed, which further strengthens the institution of Contracted Petty Officers. It is now possible for those recruited as SYOPs in the National Guard to remain in service until they reach the age of forty-two."
Referring to the institution of SYOPs, he said that the Ministry is also working on other measures "such as the possibility of including them in a new category of members of the army after they reach the age of 42."
Referring to the institution of SYOPs, he said that the Ministry is also working on other measures "such as the possibility of including them in a new category of members of the army after they reach the age of 42. This new category will have 57 years as the age of compulsory termination of employment, as is the case for other non-commissioned officers, but will provide for a specific procedure and criteria for the selection of candidates, which will be incorporated into regulations."
The Defence Minister also said that "the National Guard must be strengthened and modernised in order to cope with new circumstances and successfully respond to the needs and modern challenges, an issue which is a prerequisite for the continuation of the National Guard."
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