First of all, I would like to convey the warm greetings of the Minister of Defence who, despite his wish to the contrary, was unable to attend.
It is with great pleasure that I am attending the award ceremony for the 10 conscripts of the 2021 NSO, who have distinguished themselves for their systematic use of the Free Movement Scheme. This event has now become an institution with a positive impact.
I warmly congratulate the awarded soldiers for their conscientiousness and responsible behaviour.
The ultimate aim of the project is to protect the lives and physical integrity of the National Guardsmen, as well as the Contracted Soldiers, from the scourge of road accidents.
I would like to thank CNP Insurance and in particular the Group's First Executive Director, Mr. Andreas Stylianou, as well as the entire staff of the company for the excellent cooperation, and for the sponsorship of the 10 Tablets, with which our National Guardsmen will be awarded.
Through the Plan, the soldier makes the most of the time needed for his transportation, because from the moment he boards the bus, for the National Guard it is considered that he has already reported for duty at the camp where he is serving, so he avoids in this way the stress of arriving on time and eliminates the risk of driving under time pressure. At the same time, it also helps his family by avoiding unnecessary transport costs.
The figures show that more and more soldiers, both conscripts and contractors, are taking advantage of the Free Movement Scheme.
However, we must never forget that, no matter how many incentives we offer, no matter how many initiatives we take, nothing can be guaranteed if road awareness and the correct use of the traffic code are not developed and consolidated by everyone.
Last Friday, the road safety week for the National Guardsmen, which this year has been upgraded to a great extent with the assistance of the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Justice and the Cyprus Police Force, was a great success.
The use of simulators, the effective participation of road safety ambassadors, and for the first time the participation from Greece of the Road Safety Institute "Panos Mylonas" gave a special boost this year as the whole training was interactive and essential.
The effort to reduce the number of road accidents involving military personnel will continue with new actions with the ultimate goal of reducing them to zero.
I would like to reiterate my warm congratulations to all those who contribute to our common effort to eliminate road accidents.
In particular, I would like to congratulate each and every one of you, our soldiers who we are awarding today, because you are an example for all young people who serve their country.
Thank you!
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Note: The address was delivered on behalf of the Minister of Defence by the Director General of the Ministry of Defence, Mr Andreas Louka.
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