Strengthening our defensive capabilities, will also strengthen our negotiating position says President

Our main concern is to continue to strengthen the defensive capabilities, so that we can be even stronger in the negotiations, President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades has said.

Speaking to the press on Tuesday, following the parade on the occasion of the 53rd anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Cyprus, President Anastasiades said that 53 years after the foundation of the Cyprus Republic, we are faced with the invasion and the continuing occupation of the northern part as well as the economic crisis.

He pointed out that this hardens our will and our determination to continue to fight for an agreement that will reunite our island.

Greek Defence Minister Demetris Avramopoulos, who represented the Greek government in the parade, pointed out that Greece and Cyprus are faced with the same difficulties and challenges, expressing his conviction that both countries will make it at the end.

He said that Greece stands firm at all efforts to reunify the island, adding that Cyprus can contribute to the peace and stability in the region.

Cyprus Defence Minister Photis Photiou said that the island’s army forces safeguard the security, democracy and sovereign rights of our country.

He also expressed his appreciation to the Ambassadors of the EU member states who responded to the invitation to attend today’s parade that marks the 53rd anniversary of Cyprus’ independence.

Archbishop of the Church of Cyprus Chrysostomos noted that the biggest weapon the Cyprus people have nowadays is our state entity and democracy which we must safeguard.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third.

A new round of peace talks is expected to begin this autumn, to find a negotiated settlement that will reunite the country, under a federal roof.

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.