A bill which would allow women to voluntarily enlist in the National Guard will go to a vote at a plenary parliament session in the next two weeks, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said on Thursday.

Speaking after a House defence committee session, he said that following consultations with committee chairman and Edek leader Marinos Sizopoulos, the bill is expected to be put to a vote either at next week’s plenary session on March 27, or the week after on April 3.

On this, he thanked Sizopoulos and other committee members “for the constructive and nonpartisan way in which they perceive issues”.

Sizopoulos also thanked his committee colleagues and Palmas, as well as other stakeholders, “for the impeccable, rapid, and constructive cooperation” on the matter, which allowed for the matter to be passed through the committee within a short period of time.

“I believe that this particular bill is groundbreaking and pioneering for Cyprus. We are confident that its proper implementation will give the National Guard a new dimension and new capabilities, which it will be able to utilise in the future for the benefit of our homeland,” he said.

The bill was approved by cabinet last month, with women set to be able to serve voluntarily alongside male conscripts once they reach the age of 18 years old, should they wish.

President Nikos Christodoulides hailed the idea at the time, describing it as a “pivotal moment” for both the National Guard and for Cyprus at large.

“This decision enhances the readiness of the National Guard while granting women the same right to serve in military service, reinforcing the idea that the responsibility for the country’s security is collective,” he said.

Not everyone was convinced by the idea, however, with Skevi Koukouma, leader of women’s organisation Pogo, telling the Cyprus Mail that the move “smacks of warmongering” and is “odd”.

“The army is the last place where equality can be enforced,” she said, arguing that women can contribute to society in other ways than joining the armed forces.

Meanwhile, Turkish Cypriot opposition party CTP ‘MP’ Dogus Derya said women should be invited to sit at the Cyprus problem negotiating table, not to join the armed forces.

“Cypriot women have been striving for equal and effective female participation in the negotiating process since the beginning of the 2000s. If Christodoulides wants women to contribute to their country more equally, he should invite our Greek Cypriot sisters to the negotiating table, not the army,” she said.

Women have been allowed to take up employment in the National Guard as contracted officers since 1990, with these female officers being recruited after being accepted into military school in Greece without serving as conscripts.