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The President of the Republic Mr. Nicos Anastasiades visited today the camp of the National Guard "Sotos Hatziprokopiou", in Cheri, on the occasion of the Easter holidays, accompanied by the Minister of Defence Mr. Charalambos Petrides, the Government Spokesman Mr. Mario Pelekanos and the Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis.
Speaking to the National Guardsmen, the President of the Republic said, among other things, that "on behalf of the State, I want to express my warmest feelings to each and every one of them individually, to all the men and women who serve the National Guard, to express grateful thanks to the men and women in attendance and at the same time my heartfelt congratulations for the work being done in the National Guard through sound planning to enhance the deterrent force and defense of our country.
These days, unfortunately, we are witnessing what anyone who considers himself powerful wants to impose. We are experiencing truly unprecedented conditions after 60 so many years of peace in Europe. Knowing mindsets that are similar between the invader and the current catastrophic events we are witnessing, it is our position that the National Guard can only be strengthened defensively in a way that effectively defends the territorial integrity and independence of our homeland.
At the same time, we do not fail to insist that the only way to deal with the disastrous consequences of the 1974 invasion is to implement the countless resolutions of the UN and the Security Council. And this can only be done through a creative dialogue that respects the basic principles of international law, as well as the principles and values of the EU, of which the Republic of Cyprus is a member. If this is indeed his wish, we have demonstrated in practice that dialogue and our positive suggestions, which do not ignore the concerns of Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots alike, are a given. We have proven at the negotiating table that we mean what we say as long as the functionality of the state, its independence and the abolition of any anachronistic guarantees are guaranteed."
President Anastasiades also referred to the absurd claims of the Turkish side which aim to turn the Republic of Cyprus into a protectorate of Turkey.
He also pointed out that "what I want to assure Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots is that we are determined to move forward with bold steps, as long as the bold steps are not at the expense of either the Greek Cypriot or the Turkish Cypriot community. Both communities have concerns. They can be easily overcome if Turkey finally understands that the time has come to finally end its interference in the internal affairs of an independent, sovereign state, a member of the UN and the EU.
I want to wish you from the depths of my soul a Happy Resurrection to you personally, to your families, but Happy Resurrection to our country as well."
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