New national guard chief inducted

Lieutenant general George Tsitsikostas, the new head of the National guard, was inducted into his new role at a ceremony at the Presidential palace on Thursday.

Tsitsikostas replaces the outgoing Demokritos Zervakis, who had held the post for three and a half years.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Nikos Christodoulides said “continuing the important work of your predecessor, I invite you to work human-centredly and in a spirit of cooperation, with the aim of implementing the government’s policy on defence and security issues”.

Ttitsikostas himself also spoke, saying he is “fully aware” of the honour of the role he has undertaken.

“I am fully prepared to implement the work assigned to me with the main objective of further strengthening the combat power of the National guard,” he said.