Military parade ‘not a show of strength’

`WEDNESDAY’S military parade to commemorate Cyprus’ independence is not designed to cause tension, nor is it a show of strength, Government Spokesman Kypros Chrysostomides said yesterday.

“The objective of the military parade is to commemorate our independence day and the 43 years of the Republic of Cyprus. It has no intention either to cause tension or display military might,” Chrysostomides said.

He added that the Republic’s defence programme was continuing and the country’s defence capabilities were at a particularly high level. “As we continue our efforts to find a political settlement through peaceful means, there is no reason to display any military hardware to provoke,” he said.

He also said that the three-day official visit to Cyprus by Greek National Defence Minister Yiannos Papantoniou reflected the close ties between Athens and Nicosia in defence matters.

Papantoniou, who arrived on the island yesterday afternoon, was met by Defence Minister Kyriakos Mavronikolas. Today he meets House President Demetris Christofias. Tomorrow he will be received by President Tassos Papadopoulos.
During his visit, the Greek Minister will address the House Defence Committee, party leaders and meet representatives of enclaved Greek Cypriots living in Turkish occupied Karpass peninsula.

On arrival yesterday, Papantoniou gave strong assurances that Greece would continue to back Cyprus, not only in defence matters but also in the attempt to find a peaceful negotiated settlement that would reunite the divided island.
“My presence and my meetings here highlight the importance that Greece attributes to the joint defence area, the Joint Defence Pact and the wholehearted support towards Cyprus in the effort to find a just, viable and functional political settlement,” Papantoniou said. He stressed that Athens’ support was “continuous, substantive and uninterrupted”.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.