Cyprus Defense Minister Vasilis Palmas has reviewed the ministry’s successful 2024 efforts to Phileleftheros, expressing confidence in achieving even more in 2025.
Palmas outlined plans to develop the “Evangelos Florakis” Naval Base in Mari and begin work on the “Andreas Papandreou” Air Base in Paphos after obtaining expert opinions.
He announced the creation of the Greek Defense Industry Council to boost participation in armament programs and highlighted efforts to welcome female volunteers into the RMMO by 2025.
Palmas also noted increased allowances for Naval Command personnel and Professional Soldiers.
Acknowledging the challenge of filling the 600-person Professional Soldier cadre, Palmas emphasized the need to modernize the army’s weapon systems to address the 15-year stagnation in armament.
Last month, the president of Cyprus expressed the need to strengthen the defence of the member states of the European Union.
President Christodoulides characterized as particularly important the decision for the Commission to immediately proceed with the preparatory work for the budgetary aspect of the issue, as well as on the issues of strengthening and boosting the European defense industry.
He said that the Republic of Cyprus was ready to assume its appropriate role, adding that it is within this framework that the recent decisions to expand the Andreas Papandreou Air Base and to upgrade the Evangelos Florakis Naval Base were taken.
During January, American experts were Cyprus was to provide guidelines for improvement projects at the Andreas Papandreou Air Base , so that it can be upgraded and serve more countries and missions.
Vasilis Palmas assured that the base will not become a staging ground for offensive missions by any state, especially the United States. At the same time, AKEL General Secretary Stefanos Stefanou demanded Cyprus to be free from foreign military bases and repeated his opposition to NATO membership.
In a speech at the EDON Pancyprian Excursion to Troodos in January, he added that Akel was opposed to the Christodoulides government’s attempts to turn Cyprus into a NATO and American base for ‘imperialist interventions in the bloody region of the Middle East’.