Press reports ridiculing new positions for contract soldiers to cover specific needs can only cause damage to issues pertaining to state security, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said on Monday.

Speaking before a cabinet meeting, Palmas dismissed the press reports as being “malicious” and nowhere near the truth and said he was “intensely disgruntled”.

A daily newspaper, he said, has been reporting over the past few days on National Guard staffing, including the new positions of contract soldiers for the Cyprus Intelligence Service (KYP) or the presidential plane and whether they are qualified to be there.

“It is a fact that there are quite a few vacant positions for contract soldiers. The last call was in December 2023, when 200 people expressed an interest and 100 were hired.”

Palmas said many contract soldiers left for other jobs due to low salaries and thus the government did not advertise the vacancies, but increased remuneration packages which had remained unchanged since 2016.

The defence minister said there was an outflow of about 200 employees per year and the government hoped the upgrading would attract staff to stay on.

The upgrade includes allowances ranging from €100 to €200, depending on the work they are called on to do, which in some cases is demining.

Salary scales have also been increased and retirement has been set at 57 years of age, to make the positions more attractive.

Commenting on reports that the president had cabin attendants on his flights in the presidential jet, Palmas said the plane was received in September 2022 and its crew was a trainer and three contract soldiers, one of whom left.

Since it is a military aircraft, its crew should also be from the army, Palmas pointed out, adding that the implications in press reports that those on board were “privileged” are “totally baseless and unfounded and, if you like, malicious”.

“The crew has no additional privilege. When the aircraft is not in action and in the air to serve the interests of the Republic of Cyprus, these people continue to serve at their units,” Palmas said.

Regarding KYP, the defence minister said any reports could only harm the state’s security. He added that no contract soldiers had been transferred to KYP and that he could not divulge any further information as these were confidential issues.

Palmas said he hoped the reports were written “naively” and had no other motive.

“In any case, in view of the pre-election campaign for the 2026 parliamentary elections, the government expects that there will be tension and public debates,” Palmas said.

He pointed out, however, that this should be done by presenting “arguments, political positions and political approaches, and not with punches below the belt, which at the end of the day damage the interests of the country”.

Government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis took to social media platform X to respond to recent criticism from Disy regarding the assignment of duties to contract soldiers (Syop) in the National Guard. Disy had claimed that these soldiers were being given “foreign tasks” and announced plans to bring the matter before Parliament for discussion.

However, Letymbiotis countered that Disy’s leadership appeared to be contradicting its own past decisions. He stated that the decision to staff the National Guard’s aircraft with Syop and permanent non-commissioned officers (NCOs) was made in May 2022, under the previous administration. The relevant legislation, he added, was prepared and submitted to Parliament in June 2022 by the former government, which was led by Disy at the time.

“The leadership of Disy seems confused. Does the party disagree with its own past decisions?” Letymbiotis questioned in his post.

He noted that the selection process for personnel was conducted based on specific criteria set at the time, and those chosen remain in their positions on Monday.

Disy president Annita Demetriou had recently criticised what she described as “uncontrolled hirings” by the current administration, stating that her party could not support a bill that would lead to such practices. In response, Letymbiotis accused Disy’s leadership of either being unaware of its own past actions or deliberately ignoring them.

“The same bill that Disy now opposes was actually submitted to Parliament by the previous government on June 15, 2022,” he pointed out.

“Our administration has chosen to assess existing procedures before resubmitting it for discussion.”

Letymbiotis also highlighted that the composition of the House, including its president, has remained unchanged since these decisions were first made. He questioned why Disy now views the staffing arrangement as problematic when it had previously endorsed it.

“What has changed? Did they fail to understand the situation back then, or is their opposition now driven by political motives?” he asked.

“We consider these decisions correct. Does the leadership of Disy?”

The exchange marks another chapter in the ongoing political tensions between the government and Disy, with both sides accusing each other of inconsistency. The issue is expected to be further debated in Parliament in the coming weeks.