“It must”, noted Mr. Panagiotopoulos, “be a common goal to protect the international legal order, against any illegal and revisionist behavior, in violation of fundamental rules of international law and the principle of good neighborliness”.
Revisionism is a key threat to both the interests of Greece and the US as well as NATO, as the Minister of National Defense, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, stated, among others, during his meeting yesterday, Monday, July 18, with his American counterpart, Lloyd Austin, at the Pentagon, Washington.
“It has to,” noted Mr. Panagiotopoulos“to be a common goal to protect the international legal order, against any illegal and revisionist behavior, in violation of fundamental rules of international law and the principle of good neighborliness”.
For Turkey, he stressed that “it insists on its revisionist behavior, regarding the legally unfounded claim for demilitarization of the Eastern Aegean islands and provocative violations of the National Airspace and overflights of populated areas by Turkish fighter jets”.
“It must follow the path of de-escalation and productive dialogue with absolute respect for international law, abandoning its aggressive rhetoric,” he added.
The Greek minister highlighted the importance of broadening and deepening the Strategic Defense Relationship between Greece and the US, which is at an extremely high level after the amendment of the Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement in November 2019 and October 2021.
The eight new locations now included in the Agreement – especially Alexandroupolis – reflect the strategic nature of the defense cooperation of the two countries and the timeless geostrategic importance of Greece.
In his opening speech, Mr. Panagiotopoulos pointed out: “The exceptional level of Greek-US defense cooperation, combined with joint trainings and joint exercises that increase interoperability, as well as the expanded presence of US military forces in new areas and strategic points of the Greek territory, is proof of our common will and desire to increase our readiness in order to face common threats and challenges and to protect our interests in the wider region, which is an area of ​​particular geopolitical importance”.
Especially for Souda, he underlined that “it is known for its special strategic importance in the South-East Mediterranean”, while Alexandroupolis, “with its proximity to the Black Sea, proved to be of critical importance for our efforts to provide support to Ukraine”.
The meeting also discussed the war in Ukraine, the security situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and broader geopolitical security challenges.
In particular, Mr. Panagiotopoulos recognized the decisive role of Mr. Austin in coordinating the efforts of the countries that provide support to Ukraine and emphasized that Greece implemented the sanctions against Russia from the first moment, despite the high costs they entail, and provided every possible assistance.
Regarding the acquisition of the 5th generation F-35 fighter jets from Greece, Mr. Panagiotopoulos noted that it is a new milestone in the strategic cooperation of the two countries, which will contribute to the country’s deterrence capacity and the closer cooperation and interoperability of the Armed Forces Greece and USA.
For his part, Mr. Austin, in his opening speech, referred to the visit of the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in May to Washington and the “historic speech”, as he characteristically said, “at the joint session of Congress, during of which he noted that our two countries share common values ​​and ideals and these principles are the foundation upon which the strong and ever-expanding relationship between us was built.”
Regarding the relations between the United States and Greece in the field of defense, he clarified that “they are stronger than ever”.
“The updated US-Greece Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement reflects our countries’ unwavering commitment to shared peace and security and has enabled the enhancement of US forces in Greece in support of United States and NATO objectives for strategic access to the region,” he continued. the US Secretary of Defense.
He also thanked Greece “for hosting the American naval support forces in Souda, which is the cornerstone of our relationship in the field of defense”.
He also highlighted “priority access” granted by the Greek government to US forces at the port of Alexandroupoli, which allows the US to “continue to provide military assistance to Ukraine and engage hostile elements, as well as conduct exercises and operations in the Balkans, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea region”.
Besides, Mr. Panagiotopoulos met with the senior policy advisor of the US Secretary of State, Derek Solett, at the State Department. In addition, he met with the leadership and executives of the think tank “Heritage Foundation”, the head of the F-35 fighter jet program, Lt. Gen. Michael Schmidt, the president of the American Hellenic Institute, Nikos Larryngakis and members of the Board of Directors as well as the founder and president of the “Oxi Day” foundation, Andy Manatos and the executive director of the same foundation, Mike Manatos.
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