Defence minister honours fallen and serving soldiers

Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides commemorated the fallen soldiers and those currently serving in the army as he marked Saint George’s day on Friday.

In his speech at Lieutenant General Tassos Markos National Guard camp, Petrides also outlined the need for the defence force’s modernisation and upgrading of its capabilities.

He emphasised that Turkey continues to threaten the Republic despite Ankara’s efforts to portray itself as a pacifist in its role of mediator in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Turkey, he said, continues to violate international law – occupying 36 per cent of the island – further provoking division through its actions in Varosha.

Turkey is further causing instability, Petrides said, by engaging in a hybrid war as it seeks to alter the Republic’s demographic character by promoting illegal immigration into the territory.

Those threats require the National Guard be a modern and flexible force, capable of effectively handling every challenge, he said.

Finally, Petrides added that other tools are required to reach a just settlement of the Cyprus problem, based on international law – emphasising that the confidence building measures put forth by Nicosia aim to achieve this goal.