Army answers expected from meeting on defence today

President Nicos Anastasiades will preside over a meeting related to defence issues today at the presidential retreat in the Troodos mountains.
Defence and Finance Ministers, the members of the house defence committee, the leaders of the political parties, the Chief of the National Guard as well as the Chief of the Central Intelligence Office will be present.
Defence Minister Photis Photiou pointed out that issues of defence and security are a high priority for the government, adding that these issues should be left out of the various public debates.
He said the government wishes to ensure that decisions are taken in a collective spirit, adding that during today’s meeting the political leaders will be briefed in detail on the situation in the National Guard and the vision for the reconstruction of the army.
He added that the government will brief the participants on the recent developments regarding Cyprus’ cooperation for energy security issues in the region.
House Defence Committee Chairman George Varnavas said the meeting is taking place following a request from the parliamentary committee.
He said this is the first time such a meeting has been called, pointing out that defence issues are a great concern for everyone and should not be in the public eye.
Varnavas said it is expected that a series of decisions will take place as regards the problems the army is faced with.