Welcome Address On behalf of the Chief Hellenic National Defence General Staff , Gen Konstantinos Floros
Cdr ( HN ) Nikolaos Myriounis
Honorable Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Cyprus Chief of the General Staff of the National Guard of the Republic of Cyprus Honorable Ambassadors , Ladies and Genltemen .
It is with great pleasure that I welcome the 2nd International Conference and Exhibition of Defence and Internal Security of Cyprus that starts today in Nicosia . I would first of all like to thank the organizers for inviting me to welcome the work of this Conference , which will be a first-class opportunity to present the possibilities offered by cutting-edge technology in the fields of defense and security .
The organization of such events is obviously very important , as they highlight in the best way the capabilities of defense industry , while offering the opportunity of networking and informing each other on modern developments and exchanging know-how on cutting-edge technologies .
This is of course largely true for a country like Cyprus , which like Greece has the particularity of being in a sensitive geographical neighbourhood , facing challenges manifested through the questioning of both its sovereignty and its sovereign rights , as they derive from International Law and treaties .
It is also true that the defence sector is directly linked , among other things , to the functioning of the defence industry . Therefore and for the successful accomplishment of the armed forces mission , it is absolutely necessary to maintain a domestic base of defence technology and industry , which will be able to support both the needs in armaments and the entire range of their logistics , in order to ensure their operational adequacy and autonomy during peace , crisis and war .
Regarding the exhibits that will be visited in the Exhibition , it is more than certain that they will strengthen our perception of the ways of maintaining and strengthening our defensive and deterrent capability , the superiority at the informational level , as well as in the context of acquiring situational awareness . And I would like to stress here that this is the reason why cutting-edge technology is a force multiplier and an absolute must .
Therefore , it is particularly important to develop synergies between the actors of defence technology and industry with the academic community , but also with the competent state bodies . Good cooperation between them in the fields of research and development can yield impressive results and efficient solutions for military use . And this Conference combined with the defence exhibition serves precisely this purpose .
Concluding with these thoughts , I would like to congratulate the organizers of the Conference and the Exhibition for their truly commendable initiative . I am absolutely sure that through the presentations of the distinguished speakers and the discussions that will frame them , in combination with the defensive material that your visitors will have the opportunity to admire , useful conclusions will be drawn on issues of defence and security .
Thank you . General Konstantinos Floros