The Alternate Minister of National Defence Dimitris Vitsas during an interview on Thursday 17 April 2017 on “STO KOKKINO” Radio Station stated the following:

 On the Greek Turkish relations, following yesterdays meeting of the Governmental Council for Foreign Affairs and National Defence:

We are concerned with what we thought we would, that the referendum in Turkey would not bring an end to the tension rhetoric but would possibly trigger a new cycle, and this is the case now. We are sticking to our beliefs, determination and, it goes without saying, readiness , as the Armed Forces ought to be at deterrence level.

Allow me to add one more thing: Turkey is a neighbouring country, there is however a difference, it is different being Luxemburg, and it is different being Greece. This should be taken into consideration. We are interested in a European orientation of Turkey, which is very important , and simultaneously we need to have clear-cut relations. Our relations are dictated by International Law, as well as by International Contracts, whose review is not tolerable and, much more, is not acceptable. At Armed Forces Level we are proceeding with the reconstruction of the Army, a plan which will be implemented in 2017, the upgrade and the intensification of training procedures.

On whether there will be personnel hiring in the Armed Forces:

The personnel hiring promised of 1000 Short Term Privates, that is for 3 years, will cover the losses we have suffered over the years. They are part of the agreement framework with the loaners, because we need to combine knowledge and the wisdom which comes with age, because people between the ages of 20 to 30 perform better. In this context , yes we will employ people in the next years.

Onmilitaryservice :

We are quite concerned with this issue, given the tension rhetoric which is evident these days, that is we are concerned not with the duration of the service but with how beneficial it is for the draftees. That is, they should acquire capabilities which will enable them with their life after they do service. We have begun with doctors, lawyers and engineers and we are initiating a cooperation with the Ministry of Education and a series of technical professions.

On the German archives from the occupation period, now in the hands of the Army History Dte.:

In the Wehrmacht archives what is of utter importance is the fact that you see the National resistance with the eyes of the enemy. You see how the conquerors witnessed the effort of the Greek people and remarkablymostthings prove to be the way we thought they were. ThesearchivesweredeliveredbytheUSside. A number of archives is still in the USA, which are linked to our requirement for the so-called German reparations. We also have a list of archives we are seeking in Russia.

This effort will last many years, now however we are mature to present part of them. In the events held in Athens for the Battle of Crete, we presented a big part referring to it. The archives are accessible to historians who can contact the Army History Dte, based on the provided procedures, and work on them.

On the transfer of the AVEROF Battle Ship to the Skaramangas Ship Yard:

This is a great thing which keeps the historic memory alive and the history of the Hellenic Navy too. Itstransferwasanachievementofatechnicalnature.

On the developments concerning the Skaramangas Shipyards:

Stergios Pitsiorlas and Panagiotis Kouroublis are mainly responsible for this. What I can say is that no Skaramangas employee needs to worry. There is already a law-making initiative in the MoD bill. On our part this bill is very specific. There is of course a serious litigation in international courts as well as in the Greek Justice System on the Safa part. Based, however, on the available agreements we are moving on, we are securing the rights of the employees, while on the Safa part they are not sticking to their obligations concerning the employees. Our objective is to move away from the military agreement procedures and develop the commercial part at the Skaramangas Shipyards as well. Thereisanintegratedplanunderwaypertainingtothis.