|
|
On 20
July 1974 Turkey invaded Cyprus militarily,
alleging to the international community that it
was undertaking a “peace-keeping
operation%26rdquo;. The pretext put forth for the
invasion was the coup d%26rsquo; etat of Athens
against the legal government of Archbishop
Makarios.
On 14 August 1974
and whilst the negotiations were proceeding in
Geneva, there was a new advance of Turkish troops
which resulted in the occupation of 37% of the
territory of the Republic of Cyprus.
Since August 1974,
approximately 35,000 Turkish troops are stationed
in the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus, equipped
with high technology military equipment. Taking
into consideration the fact that Turkey is
situated only 70 km away from Cyprus, a fact that
allows it to transfer in a very short time
thousands of troops, army equipment and
ammunition, one can realize the disadvantageous
situation into which Cyprus finds itself,
vis-%3f-vis Turkey, a country disposing one of
the most powerful armies in NATO.
Despite UN Security
Council resolutions on the withdrawal of the
Turkish occupation troops and the efforts of the
international community for the peaceful
resolution of the Cyprus problem, Turkey
continues to reinforce its army of occupation,
and to provoke and threaten that it will expand
its occupation to the Government-controlled areas
as well.
According to the UN
Secretary General%26rsquo;s Report to the
Security Council on the activities of the UN
Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus
(S1994/680/7.6.1994.par.28), the occupied areas
of Cyprus is one of the most militarised areas in
the world.
In the same way that
every country in the world has the undeniable
right to reinforce its defence so does Cyprus and
even to a greater degree since the island is a
victim of invasion and continuous occupation
since 1974. Cyprus has not only the right but
also the responsibility towards its citizens to
constantly reinforce its defence.
The ultimate aim
of this policy is:
n Firstly to create
the level of deterrence which will convince
Turkey that the cost of a possible attempt of
expanding its occupation on the island will be
greater than any possible benefit, and
n Secondly the
Cypriot citizen will acquire the sense of
security, which is necessary for him/her to
become active and successful in any sector of the
economy.
This policy of
reinforcing the island%26rsquo;s ’defence
was not an option for the Cyprus Government. It
was imposed on Cyprus by the circumstances, which
were created by the Turkish invasion and the
continuous presence of Turkish troops in the
occupied part of the island. Since the ancient
times Cypriots are peace-loving people. For this
reason, when President Clerides came to power, he
sent a letter to the UN Secretary General on
17/12/1993, in which he suggested the complete
demilitarisation of the island, with the
withdrawal of the Turkish troops and the
dissolution of the National Guard. Moreover, he
suggested that the money that would normally be
spent on defence could be used for the
development and prosperity of the two communities
following a solution to the Cyprus problem.
Unfortunately, the Turkish side rejected
President Clerides%26rsquo; proposal.
Defence
Cooperation between Cyprus and
Greece
In the
afore-mentioned letter, President Clerides
referred to the “massive presence of the
Turkish troops in the occupied areas of Cyprus
which necessitates the quest of Greek army
assistance and the inclusion of Cyprus in the
Greek defence planning%26rdquo; as well. Greece,
on the basis of the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee, has
guaranteed the independence, territorial
integrity and security of the Republic of Cyprus.
Greece is also one of the signatory parties of
the 1960 Treaty of Alliance.
In November 1993 the
President of the Republic of Cyprus Glafcos
Clerides and the Greek Prime Minister Andreas
Papandreou declareded the Joint Defence Doctrine
between Cyprus and Greece.
As a result of the
doctrine Greece and Cyprus set the basis for
common defence, in the framework of which the
Greek Armed Forces will assist Cyprus militarily
in the case of an advance by the Turkish
troops.
Armament
Programmes
Despite the
hardships the government experienced in the
supply of military equipment, due to the embargo
imposed by many western countries, Cyprus managed
to implement an armament programme for the years
1996-2000. The implementation of this programme
contributed in reversing to a great extent the
balance of power in armaments which was against
Cyprus and to reinforce the National Guard with
modern arming systems and equipment.
These arming systems
are the main battle tanks T-80, the Infantry
Combat Vehicles MBP-3, the Armoured Personnel
Carriers Leonidas, the Antitank guided systems
MILAN-3, ASPIDE Air Defence Systems, a new
long-range surveillance radar, general-purpose
military vehicles and ammunition.
Cyprus%26rsquo;
participation to the European Military
Capabilities
In the context of
Cyprus%26rsquo; accession course to the European
Union and the island%26rsquo;s potential as a
candidate state for participation in the Common
European Policy of Security and Defence, the
Government made known, in time, its intention to
contribute to the improvement of the European
Military Capabilities, whose purpose will be the
maintenance or the restoration of peace,
humanitarian missions and missions of managing
crises.
On 21 November 2000,
the Minister of Defence, Socrates Hasikos,
submitted to the ad hoc EU Council of Defence
Ministers Cyprus%26rsquo; contribution to the
European Military Capabilities which comprises of
the symbolic contribution of one transport
company, one system of air surveillance and
Cyprus%26rsquo; infrastructure such as airports,
ports, network of air and sea inspection for the
services of the European Forces in the event of
undertaking peaceful operations in the broader
area of Cyprus.
For continuous
contact between the European Union and the
Republic of Cyprus, the Ministry of Defence has
appointed a high rank officer as a representative
in the Military Committee and an officer as a
liaison with the Military of the
Union.
Centre of
Research and Rescue
Amongst the
international responsibilities of the Republic of
Cyprus lies the organisation and functioning of a
Research and Rescue Centre, with the task of
coordinating the operation of locating and
rescuing people whose lives are in danger due to
land, sea and air accidents within
Nicosia%26rsquo;s FIR. This centre has been
functioning successfully in the last few
years.
Due to the
constantly increasing movement in the wider area
of the island, the Republic of Cyprus has
improved the capability of the Centre of Research
and Rescue and increased the means of research
and rescue. In 2001 the Government purchased two
Helicopters while next year it plans to purchase
six research – rescue helicopters and
additional boats. |
|