-
.
- Ελληνικά
The confirmation ceremony of the new Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General George Tsitsikostas, took place today at the Presidential Palace, in the presence of the President of the Republic Mr. Nikos Christodoulides.
Speaking at the ceremony, the President of the Republic said: "The Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cyprus, upon the recommendation of the Minister of Defence, appointed Lieutenant General Georgios Tsitsikostas as Chief of the General Staff of the National Guard to replace Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis.
Mr. Chief, Lieutenant General George Tsitsikosta, with the newly signed affirmation we have just signed, you assume the duties of Chief of the National Guard of the Republic of Cyprus, Cyprus, an EU member state whose almost 37% of its territory is under Turkish occupation.
Your excellent training, knowledge and experience, your long and distinguished service, your excellent military and academic qualifications, as well as the distinctions you have achieved, were decisive in the decision to appoint you to the highest office of the leadership of the National Guard.
I welcome you to Cyprus and sincerely wish you a good and productive term of office.
From today, on the day of the Armed Forces Day celebration, as Chief of the National Guard, you assume the sacred duty of safeguarding the highest good of security and defending the freedom, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus.
From today, on the day of the Armed Forces Day celebration, as Chief of the National Guard, you assume the sacred duty of safeguarding the highest good of security and defending the freedom, independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus.
At the same time, you are called upon, as Chief, to contribute to the enhancement of the operational readiness and deterrence capability of the National Guard.
Continuing the admittedly important work of your predecessor, I invite you to work in a people-oriented and cooperative spirit, with the aim of implementing the Government's policy on defence and security issues.
I expect that, among many other things, you will give priority to strengthening security measures in the areas of guarding, recruitment and training, modernizing the laws and regulations governing the army, upgrading training, boosting morale and improving the living facilities of National Guard personnel.
I have no doubt that, being deeply aware of the responsibilities entrusted to you, but also of your multi-level experience, with your guidance, the National Guard will do its best to fulfill its mission.
We are going through a difficult period in our country, with the occupation continuing for almost half a century and the Turkish occupying forces attempting, as we saw recently in Pyla, to expand the territory under occupation and create new defaults.
At the same time, the emergence of new forms of hybrid warfare, geopolitical instability due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine and the instrumentalization of migratory flows are just some of the challenges that require constant vigilance, utmost readiness and continuous efforts to upgrade the operational capabilities of the National Guard. And I am confident that this need will be high on your priorities.
On the occasion of today's ceremony, I would be remiss if I did not publicly thank the outgoing Chief Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis for the excellent and constructive cooperation we had.
Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis has completed a fruitful 3.5 years of service. He contributed substantially, decisively and successfully to the reorganization and upgrading of the operational capabilities of the National Guard, as well as to the enhancement of its deterrent capability and extroversion.
Under the leadership of General Zervakis, a series of important reforms were promoted and implemented in the National Guard, which improved the level of defence and security and, at the same time, upgraded the position of our Armed Forces at European and international level.
At the same time, we ought to acknowledge the contribution of General Zervakis to the conclusion of military partnerships at regional and international level, which, among other things, contributed decisively to the gaining of important experience for National Guard personnel, to the establishment of a climate of security and cooperation in our region and to the promotion of the role of the Republic of Cyprus as a pillar of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
General Zervakis, I convey to you the gratitude of the State and the Cypriot people for the work you have accomplished in the context of full consultation and the highest professionalism.
I wish you a safe return to Greece, good health, personal and family happiness and all the best in your future career.
Mr. Chief of the National Guard, with the work of your predecessors as a beacon and the altogether remarkable personnel of the National Guard as your companions, feeling the great task you are undertaking in an occupied homeland, I am convinced that the National Guard, under your leadership and guidance, will be upgraded and modernized even further and will become a strong, flexible and effective army, with deterrent power and with personnel with skills and high morale, ready to successfully meet today's challenges.
In this effort, you can be absolutely sure that the Government and I personally, as well as the Minister of Defence, will stand by your side, as helpers and supporters, assisting in every way possible in your efforts and work.
I wish you good luck and a creative course in the honourable, yet demanding mission you are undertaking, I repeat, in a semi-occupied country."
For his part, the new Chief of the National Guard said: "Fully aware of the supreme honour conferred upon me by the decision of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cyprus to entrust me with the duties of the Chief of the National Guard, but also of the duty arising from my appointment towards the Cypriot society and the National Guard personnel whom from today I am called upon to lead, I assure you that I fully understand the extent and weight of the responsibility and I am ready to carry out consistently and to the fullest extent the task you have entrusted to me.
I acknowledge that no complacency is allowed, nor is there any period of tolerance or transition. To this end, with due respect to the work of my predecessors, I report to you that, working within the framework defined by your political guidelines and in close cooperation with the heads of all the power components of the Republic of Cyprus, I am fully prepared to implement the task you have entrusted to me, with the main objective of further strengthening the combat power of the National Guard through the optimal and rational use of the human resources available to us. By the power of the Lord, of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, patroness of the National Guard, whose birthday we celebrate today, and of the patron saints of our arms, I will exert every ounce of my mental and physical strength to fully meet the requirements of my duties, obeying the bidding of the heroes of the nation and of our semi-protected homeland."
(PM/MB/EXP)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
