Former Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant Petros Tsalikides stated that he had no expertise on explosives so as to order the evacuation of the “Evangelos Florakis” naval base when ascertained that one of the 98 containers ballooned as a result of ignition.

In his testimony before the Inquiry Committee under Polys Polyviou, he said that handing in his resignation, although he had stressed the hazards of the outdoor storage of the cargo, “would not initiate solutions”.

“I am not expertise on explosives. I am not aware of the exact hazards. In retrospect, however, the appropriate action was to evacuate the area. But I was not in the position to know and I was not competent to decide and propose”, he said, stressing that he had not such experience in his 40-year carrer.

Mr. Tsalikides acknowledged that he is responsible for the safety of the NG camps and the staff.