Greece is a country that always seeks security and stability in the region. Anything that upsets that environment of security and stability, and we’re talking about a violent upset here, you said it very well, nothing is clear, we don’t know what’s going to happen the next day, there’s no planning for the next day yet, so anything like that obviously damages the peace, security and stability and therefore Greek interests.

This was emphasized by the Minister of National Defense, Nikos Dendias, when asked if he is worried about Greek interests as the conflict in the Middle East continues, in an interview he granted today to the main Star news bulletin and to journalist Mara Zachareas.

Referring to Greece’s capabilities, Mr. Dendias underlined that our country must be able to maintain its weapons systems, planes, ships, but also to proceed with the production of missiles, rockets, radars, radios, weapons and ammunition .

“All this is absolutely within the scope of our country’s capabilities. And we also have a human capital which is enviable. It is a shame that we let young people go abroad to serve other economies, other societies, other Armed Forces, other flags and not stay in Greece and enrich the Greek industry, the Greek Armed Forces and in fact also the Greek exports” he explained Mr. Dendias.

“The first thing we will do” he said “is to create the framework, the institutional framework. The legislation is already in the final drafting phase.”

In particular, regarding the Hellenic Aviation Industry (HAI), he pointed out that “it comes to our ministry because the planes of the Greek Air Force must be maintained in a solid way… Until now, there is a very large series of transport planes which are not maintained and a series of helicopters that are not maintained… Beyond that, however, there is a whole ecosystem that needs to be created and the Ministry of Defense needs to understand in its DNA that it is not just the superior political institution of the Armed Forces of forces. It has a much broader mission and must serve it. Innovation, the defense industry, is part of this mission,” clarified the Minister of National Defense.

Regarding the Confidence Building Measures (CBM) between Greece and Turkey, he said that “I don’t want to create the impression that it is a negotiation about everything scientific”.

“It’s not even a negotiation,” he explained. “The Confidence Building Measures are measures that were described in a catalog ten years ago, there are 29 measures – if I remember correctly from the outside – and of these we agree which ones we will implement ad referendum. What does ad referendum mean? The groups agree among themselves and then go to the ministers to approve or disapprove what the negotiating groups, that is, the two groups that discussed the MOUs, have decided.”