Tseri atış poligonunun kapanışı belirsiz, Milli Muhafız ve yerel yönetim sıkıntıda

On 8 October, a parliament committee talked about the Tseri shooting range. The government wants to close it and find a new place. But Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas cannot give a date now. First, they have to solve problems with land. Some of the land belongs to the Kykos Monastery. The state's paper for the land ends on 8 November 2026.

The National Guard uses the Tseri range for light weapons. Ten shooting ranges are already closed. This makes training harder for the soldiers. Tseri is close, so training is easier for reserve officers in Nicosia. They cannot shoot at night. In summer, they have to finish by 21:00. In winter, they have to finish by 17:00.

Houses are now closer to the range. Land for a new high school is across from it. It is about 800 metres from the range. People hear the shots in a big part of Tseri. The local council wants the move to happen faster. Members of parliament want at least a rough date.

The government wants to close the Tseri shooting range, but there is no closing date yet. Parliament's Defence Committee discussed the issue on 8 October. Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said that he is still committed to closing the range and finding another place. However, he said that he cannot promise a time at this stage.

Palmas said that the plan did not start during his time as minister. He said that it continues the political decisions of earlier ministers. He also said that the problems with land, Church permits and plots must be solved first. The first expropriation order for the range was signed in 1991. A new order was issued in 2023, and it will end on 8 November 2026. After that date, a new procedure will be needed.

An earlier plan was made for a bigger range, about 600 metres long. Its cost was calculated at about 60 million euros. Deputy Permanent Secretary Stelios Kountouris said that many plots had already been expropriated. However, the project needed more land, and the cost was very high. So the National Guard will plan the new range again. All the land has been expropriated, except for two plots that belong to Kykos Monastery. The Land Registry said that there is no active application for the church land at the moment.

The General Staff said that ten ranges have already closed. Local officials said that new housing is now much closer to the range. Land opposite the range has been given for a new high school. The school area is about 800 metres from the range. MPs asked the ministry for at least an approximate timetable. Palmas said that he cannot give a timetable until the land problems are clear and the new design is finished.

The closing date of the Tseri shooting range is still unclear, even though there is political will to shut it down. The issue was discussed at the House Defence Committee on 8 October. Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas repeated that he is committed to closing the range and finding an alternative site, but he said he could not promise when this would happen.

According to Palmas, the plans to relocate the range did not begin during his term, because they continue political decisions made by earlier defence ministers. He said that issues concerning the land, the Church and the permits needed for allocating plots must be solved before a concrete timetable can be set. The first expropriation decree for the range was signed in 1991, and the new one, which was issued in 2023, will expire on 8 November 2026. After that date, a new procedure will be required.

During the discussion, it emerged that a larger range, about 600 metres long, had been planned earlier. Its cost was calculated at about 60 million euros. Deputy Permanent Secretary Stelios Kountouris explained that many plots had already been expropriated, but a larger area was needed and the project was very expensive. As a result, the National Guard will redesign the new range so that it meets future operational and security needs and limits the need for later changes. Apart from two plots belonging to the Kykos Monastery, the land has been expropriated, and an allocation has been requested for those plots.

Neofitos Pachoulidis, from the General Staff, said that the Tseri range is used for light weapons. He said that ten ranges have already been closed, which has caused accumulated training problems. He added that the Tseri range's closeness makes training much easier for reserve officers and etnofylakes in the Nicosia area. Exercises must finish by 21:00 in summer and by 17:00 in winter, and night firing is not carried out. These limits affect training for night operations and, cumulatively, the National Guard's operational capacity.

The Tseri local authority said that housing developments have come much closer to the range, and that land opposite it has been allocated for a new high school. Its representatives asked for the relocation to be speeded up, saying that the range worries residents during firing. MPs asked the ministry for at least an approximate timetable. AKEL MP Valentinos Fakontis said that the issue has been in Parliament since 2014 and that there are still no clear answers. Closing the discussion, Palmas said that the intention to close the range remains, but no timetable can be given until the land uncertainties are clarified and the new design is finished.

Although there is political will to close the Tseri shooting range, no closing date has yet been set. The issue was debated in Parliament's Defence Committee on 8 October, where Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas reaffirmed his commitment to closing the range and finding an alternative site. He made it clear, however, that he could not commit to a timeframe at this stage.

In his view, a concrete timetable is only possible once questions concerning the land, the Church and the permits needed to allocate plots have been resolved. Problems at Tseri have been on record for decades, since the first expropriation order was signed in 1991. The current order, issued in 2023, expires on 8 November 2026, after which a new procedure will be required.

An earlier plan envisaged a larger range of about 600 metres in length, at an estimated cost of about 60 million euros. Deputy Permanent Secretary Stelios Kountouris explained that many plots had already been expropriated for that plan. Two main problems had emerged, however: the need for a larger area and the project's very high cost. The National Guard will therefore redesign the range so that it meets future operational and security needs while limiting the need for later changes. Apart from two plots belonging to Kykos Monastery, for which allocation has been requested, the land has been expropriated.

Neofitos Pachoulidis, Chief of Staff at the General Staff, said the Tseri range is used for light weapons, and that the gradual loss of ranges is making National Guard training harder. Ten ranges have already been closed, most of them used for portable weapons, which has caused accumulated training problems. He singled out the proximity of Tseri as a significant help to reserve officers and etnofylakes in the Nicosia area. Moreover, activities must end by 21:00 at the latest in summer and 17:00 in winter, and no night shooting takes place, which affects night-operations training and, cumulatively, operational capacity.

The Tseri Local Authority said that housing development has now come considerably closer to the range, while land opposite it has been allocated for a new lyceum. The lyceum site lies about 800 metres from the range. Its representatives asked for the relocation to be speeded up, saying that the range affects the area's development and worries residents during shooting.

MPs asked the ministry for at least an approximate timetable, and AKEL's Valentinos Fakontis noted that the matter has been before Parliament since 2014. Palmas concluded that the intention to close the range stands, but that no timetable can be given until the land uncertainties are clarified and the new design is completed.

Political will notwithstanding, the date on which the Tseri shooting range will finally close remains anyone's guess. Land disputes, including parcels belonging to the Kykos Monastery, and the planning of a replacement range capable of meeting the National Guard's needs have yet to be resolved. The matter came before Parliament's Defence Committee on 8 October, where Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas reaffirmed his commitment to closing the range and finding an alternative site, yet stated plainly that he could not commit to a timeframe at this stage.

Palmas pointed out that the relocation plans did not originate on his watch but flow from political decisions taken by his predecessors. Before any concrete timetable can be drawn up, he argued, questions concerning the land, the Church and the permits needed to allocate the parcels must first be settled. As far as Tseri is concerned, the problems have been on record for decades: the first expropriation order for the range was signed in 1991, while the latest, issued in 2023, expires on 8 November 2026, after which a fresh procedure will be required.

The discussion also revealed that a larger range, roughly 600 metres long, had previously been planned at an estimated cost of around 60 million euros. Stelios Kountouris, Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Defence Ministry, explained that many parcels had already been expropriated for that scheme, but that the need for a wider area and the sheer cost of the project had emerged as the two fundamental obstacles. Kountouris added that land has been expropriated except for two Kykos Monastery parcels, for which an allocation has been requested.

Neofitos Pachoulidis of the General Staff said the Tseri range is used for light weapons, and he drew attention to the difficulties that the gradual decline in the number of ranges poses for National Guard training. Ten ranges have already been closed, most of them used for portable weapons, and the knock-on effect has been an accumulation of training problems. He also raised the matter of time restrictions: exercises must wrap up by 21:00 at the latest in summer and by 17:00 in winter, and no night firing takes place.

The Tseri local authority said that housing development in the area now encroaches considerably on the range, while land has been allocated opposite it for a new lyceum, some 800 metres away according to the committee. The deputy mayor added that the gunfire can be heard across much of Tseri and that military units cross residential districts to reach the range. AKEL MP Valentinos Fakontis noted that the issue has been before the House since 2014, yet there are still no clear answers as to when the range will close or exactly where its successor will be built.

Committee Chair Eugenios Hambullas called for planning for the National Guard's needs over a 25-year horizon, by expropriation if need be, noting that the technical specifications of ranges vary with operational requirements and equipment. Closing the debate, Palmas repeated that the intention to close the Tseri range stands, but that not until the uncertainties over the land are cleared up and the new design is finished can a timetable be given.