President Nikos Christodoulides announced on Monday that the draft bill for the voluntary conscription of women into the National Guard is ready. The bill is currently with the Legal Service for review and is expected to be approved by the Cabinet early next year and forwarded to the parliament. The goal, he said, is for the next conscription cycle to include the voluntary enlistment of women.

Christodoulides also announced that 104 contracted non-commissioned officers will be promoted to sergeants before the end of the year.

He added that the government is progressing with the strengthening of the country’s armament programme by expanding the list of supplier countries for weaponry.

The president was speaking while visiting the “Styllianou Kalpourtzi” camp in Delikipos, where he was attending an event for the Christmas and New Year holidays. Accompanying him was the Defence Minister, Vasilis Palmas, and the Chief of the National Guard, Giorgos Tsitsikostas.

Addressing the soldiers and officers at the camp, the president stated that strengthening the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus, through action rather than words, is of paramount importance for the government.

“During the 20 months we have been in office, we’ve made decisions to address long-standing issues, such as the matter of the contracted officers and their salary upgrades, including the payment of special allowances. We’ve also addressed the issue of professional continuity after completing 10 years of service,” he said.

He further added that they have reinstated the allowance from €75 to €150 for training schools and for the first time, a Christmas allowance has been given to conscripts, “recognising the importance of their presence here.”

Christodoulides said he is “particularly proud” with the positive feedback from foreign officials who visited Cyprus in the last 20 months regarding the officers and the readiness of the National Guard, as well as their professionalism.

The National Guard, he continued, is now facing far more challenges than it was when it was first established in 1964. He noted that today, in addition to the deterrent strength of the Republic of Cyprus, the National Guard is dealing with issues such as terrorism, migration, and generally asymmetrical threats, saying that beyond the occupation, Cyprus is located in a region of geostrategic alliances with many challenges.

National Guard, soldiers, conscripts, army

Christodoulides added that they are progressing with the enhancement of the Republic’s armament program, expanding the list of countries supplying weaponry.

“At the same time, we are moving forward with the upgrade of the naval base in Mari, and we are in the final stage for the plans,” he said, adding that authorities will also proceed with the upgrade of the Andreas Papandreou airbase in Paphos.

The president also highlighted that Cyprus has a strong defence industry in the field of research and technology, with several Cypriot companies participating in armament programmes in France, Spain, and Germany. He also mentioned that the six actions announced to support these companies have already begun to be implemented.