The arms programme of the Republic of Cyprus will always continue in the context of strengthening the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus, President Nicos Christodoulides said today.
In his statements to reporters after his visit to the camp of the 33rd Ranger Squadron, in Stavrovouni, the President of the Republic, in response to a reporter's remark that the pillars of his priorities are the Cyprus problem, Health, Education and Defence, said that "your observation about how my visits are progressing is very correct, sending a message about the stigma of our own governance.
But first, let me say that we are proud of our commandos, we are proud of our National Guard, we are proud of the worthiness of our National Guard, an effort that started many years ago, but I want to acknowledge publicly, because we are here to acknowledge what has been done. In recent years, significant work has been done, particularly in the field of the Republic of Cyprus' armament programmes, always in the context of strengthening the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus.
With my presence here today, I want to send the message that this effort, which has been made and recognised, will be further strengthened. The deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus will be further strengthened.
We are a country under occupation. As long as there is occupation in our country, we must strengthen our deterrent power.
At the same time, however, we are an EU member state and we welcome the fact that in recent years the EU has taken bold steps in the Defence and Security pillar by developing its own infrastructure in these areas, and the Republic of Cyprus together with other states, Greece, France, we will be at the hard core of this effort because we really believe that the EU should become stronger in this area.
After all, I was Foreign Minister and I know that without strong deterrence, without strong defence, the foreign policy discourse is clearly limited.
The recent decision by the US to completely lift the US embargo is also particularly important, a decision that we will take advantage of, a decision that also reflects the level of our relations with the US, the role that we are trying to play in the region.
You know very well that one of the main pillars of our cooperation with the states in the region, whether at trilateral or multilateral level, is also based on the exercises that take place, and is also based on defence and security. And always in the context of strengthening the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus".
Asked about the unified defence doctrine, the President of the Republic said that "if we all remember when the unified defence doctrine was launched, I must say on the basis of the information I have, both from the Defence Minister and the Chief of the National Guard, that significant steps have been taken since then. At an operational level we are clearly in a better position than we were when the unified defence doctrine was first announced and for as long as the unified defence doctrine was in place.
What I would like to mention is the clear political will on our part to further strengthen the cooperation that exists with the Greek Government and not only with the Greek Government, but also with other states, because there is cooperation with France and neighbouring states, There is this political will on our side and I think that the next important step that we need to take is to see this cooperation through the framework of our participation in the EU as a member state, within the framework of European Defence and Security, which in recent years has taken very important steps."
Asked whether the implementation of the arms programme will continue, the President of the Republic said that "it will continue. Our programme states that 2% of the country's GDP will be used for the arms programmes of the Republic of Cyprus, always within the framework of strengthening the deterrent power of our country."
Asked whether agreements with other countries are expected to be concluded, the President of the Republic said that "in the field of defence and security, the less said in public, the more done, without the need for publicity every time. In the Defence sector in particular, all of us or any of us should not be influenced by nice public statements, communication approaches. Especially in the field of Defence, what counts is the substance."
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