There was a strong argument in Cyprus's parliament. Politicians from different parties are unhappy because the government spends €800,000 every year to rent a building. This building is the temporary office for the Ministry of Defence and the National Guard.
The politicians said this is a waste of public money. They are frustrated that the government has not built a permanent headquarters for the defence ministry after so many years. One MP, Costas Costa, called the situation "unacceptable." He and others said that paying rent every year is not a good use of money because the government does not own the building in the end.
In response, defence officials said they are trying to solve the problem. A representative, Panayiotis Simeou, explained that they have chosen a place to build a new, permanent headquarters. All the planning is finished. He said they will now ask for the project to be made a "special project" so it can be built faster. However, they are waiting for the finance ministry to approve the money for construction. If approved, building the new headquarters will take about five years.
But the government's Audit Office is not so sure this will happen quickly. A senior official there thinks the new building will not be ready before the current rental agreement ends. This means the government will probably have to continue paying the expensive rent for several more years.
This discussion was part of a larger look at defence spending, which also found other problems. These included mistakes in land records and the use of military jeeps for non-military trips. The investigation into a helicopter part that fell into a residential area found that it was likely "human error." A final report on that incident is expected soon.