Cyprus’ Joint Rescue and Coordination Centre (JRCC) is a hub of cooperation and a model for other countries in the region seeking to develop similar facilities, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said on Friday.

Addressing a JRCC training seminar in Larnaca, Palmas said the centre has much to show and maintains a high level of readiness in monitoring, coordinating, and executing search and rescue operations.

He particularly praised the “decisive contribution” of the centre in implementing the Estia national plan whenever Cyprus is called to assist in European or international efforts to evacuate people from high-risk areas.

For the past three decades, the JRCC has been protecting lives in danger due to air and sea accidents, Palmas said.

Over the past 20 years, he added, the JRCC and participating services have significantly upgraded their capabilities and successfully handled a large number of incidents, establishing Cyprus as a well-organised hub for search and rescue as well as humanitarian operations in the eastern Mediterranean.

Palmas assured delegates that the defence ministry will continue to support every innovative effort to enhance Cyprus’ search and rescue capabilities, both as a prerequisite for greater effectiveness and as a means of promoting and safeguarding national interests.