Search and rescue coordination centre ‘holds a key role’

Cyprus can boast having one of the most modern search and rescue coordination centres (Ksed) in Europe, effectively handling services that are critical for the Republic, Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides said on Monday.

Petrides officially inaugurated the centre on Monday, which holds a key role at a national level.

Because of its effectiveness, it has been gradually assigned critical services beyond search and rescue (SAR), the minister said.

Apart from SAR missions, the centre is responsible for Radio Cyprus, the island’s maritime station, and the Zenon coordinating centre, which deals with humanitarian operations.

It is also a mission control centre, responsible for receiving and distributing distress signal alerts from distress radio beacons.

Petrides said Cyprus can play an essential role in the security and stability of eastern Europe.

Cyprus has been “established as safe, and one of the most organised Search and Rescue service centres for humanitarian and peacekeeping operations in eastern Mediterranean”, he added.

The minister accused Turkey of embarking on an expansionist and destabilising policy in the area and while continuing its diplomatic efforts, Cyprus “must be ready more than any other time to fully respond to its international obligations to avoid the present danger of having our sovereign rights violated.”