Press Releases

A ceremony was held today, at the Presidential Palace, for the signing, at military level, of the Letter of Intent, between the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Cyprus and the US National Guard of the State of New Jersey, which inaugurated the inclusion of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Cyprus in the State Partnership Program (SPP).

The Letter of Intent was signed by the Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis and the Adjutant General of the National Guard of the State of New Jersey, Brigadier General Lisa J. Hou, in the presence of the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Michalis Giorgallas, and the Ambassador of the United States of America to Cyprus, Ms Julie Fisher, as part of an official visit to Cyprus, by New Jersey Officials from the 28^th to the 30^th of March 2023.

The ceremony was attended by the former Minister of Defense of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Charalambos Petrides, the political and military leadership, high-ranking Officials of the State of New Jersey, as well as by the Principal Director for Europe and NATO Policy of the US Office of the Secretary of Defense, Mr Andrew L. Winternitz.

Through the State Partnership Program, the cooperation between the New Jersey National Guard and the Cyprus National Guard is initiated, which aims to develop expertise and capabilities in specific military fields, including communications and intelligence, cyber defense, military medical procedures, explosive ordnance disposal, military police procedures, training and leadership development, support to disaster response, and search and rescue.

(NG)