Women who complete voluntary service in the National Guard will pay half price for their university tuition if they subsequently enrol at a private university in Cyprus, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said on Friday.

Speaking to CyBC, he said the government has reached “some informal agreements” with private universities, and added that the discount will apply for the duration of their studies.

Additionally, he said, women who complete voluntary military service “will later be able to join the ranks of contracted soldiers” and begin professional military careers.

The comments come just days after he had said there would be “no special incentives” provided to drive up the numbers of women who voluntarily enlist, adding at the time that the government had decided that offering incentives to women and not to men could “create a problem of equality” between the two sexes.

“If, for example, we decided that women would have an allowance of €500 per month, while men would receive €150, another inequality would be created. Therefore, at this stage, we should leave the law as simple as it is and see along the way whether there can be some changes and some amendments to improve it,” he said on Wednesday.

Then, he had said the government has “no illusions” over the level of interest which will be shown by women in the offer of voluntary military service in the National Guard.

He said the legislation was created to establish better conditions for gender equality.

Registration will be open to women who left high school between 2017 and 2025, with Palmas saying an announcement “with all the details of the procedure”, including the dates on which expressions of interest must be submitted, will be made soon.

He said women who enlist will serve between six and 14 months.

The initial bill to allow women to serve was approved by cabinet in February, before being passed into law by parliament in April.

President Nikos Christodoulides hailed the idea in February, describing it as a “pivotal moment” for both the National Guard and for Cyprus at large.

“This decision enhances the readiness of the National Guard while granting women the same right to serve in military service, reinforcing the idea that the responsibility for the country’s security is collective,” he said.