The Alternate Minister of National Defence, Dimitris Vitsas, attended today, Wednesday, 23 August 2017 the handover ceremony of the Chairmanship of the politico-military steering committee (PMSC – SEDM/CC) of the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial Coordination Committee (SEDM), as well as the South Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG) Command.
The HNDGS Deputy Chief, Lieutenant General Konstantinos Floros, representing the HNDGS Chief, the Chief of Staff of the 1st Army, Major General Petros Demestichas, representing the HAGS Chief, the Alternate Ministers of Defence from Bosnia – Herzegovina, Bulgaria, FYROM, Turkey and other officers from the countries participating in the SEDM initiative also attended the ceremony.
The SEDM initiative was introduced in 1996, as an informal forum of cooperation between the Alternate Ministers of Defence of the Balkan Countries and South-Eastern Europe, with the participation of the following countries: Albania, Bosnia – Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, USA, Italy, Croatia, Montenegro, Ukraine, FYROM, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey and Moldavia as observer country.
Greece took over the Chairmanship of the SEDM-CC/PMSC committees as of July 1st 2017 and until June 30th 2019 from Turkey, with the Ambassador a.h. Eleftherios Angelopoulos, being its Chairman.
The Multinational Peace Force South-Eastern Europe (MPFSEE) – South Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG) was formed in 1998, with the participation of the following countries in the Brigade: Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, FYROM, Romania, Turkey. Brigadier General (Romania), Tudorica Petracha, took over its command as of August 23rd 2017 from the Brigadier General (Turkey), Faruk Metin. A Greek officer will then take over the command from the Romanian Brigadier General upon the end of his term of office.
The SEEBRIG HQ started operating in 1999 in Plovdiv and as of 2003, it was relocated to Constanta, in 2007 to Istanbul and as of July 2011, it was relocated to Tyrnavos, where it shall remain until 2020. The Brigade has been deployed only once, when it took over the command of the Multinational Brigade in Kabul for six months in 2006.
The Alternate Minister during his address stated the following:
“Honourable Ministers,
Ambassadors,
Generals, Officers,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to welcome you here, at the SEEBRIG headquarters, in Tyrnavos.
It is my great pleasure that I address to representatives from countries, with which we share the same worries and insecurity for the future of South Eastern Europe.
We should always bear in mind that our region was historically the centre of many disputes that set off conflicts that left their mark on the future of humanity. I am now confident that our people, learning from history, have only one wish: to consolidate a peaceful coexistence.
Undeniably, the SEDM initiative constitutes an initiative that serves the aforementioned wish of our people and at the same time, strengthens the good neighborly relations.
Therefore, I would like to welcome the takeover of the Chairmanship / Secretaryship of the Politico-military Steering Committee (PMSC) and the Coordination Committee (SEDM-CC) of the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial Coordination Committee (SEDM) by my country, being aware of the responsibility that now rests on its shoulders, given the fact that we live in a rapidly changing and unstable global and regional environment.
At present, the states, the international organizations, but also regional initiatives like this one, in which we participate and for which we are gathered here today, have to deal with and examine new challenges for regional and international security.
Greece, being a member of major International Organizations and a state that promotes peace and international law, is willing to cooperate in the frame of SEDM-CC and in general, for the prevention and address of any threat.
Through this SEDM initiative, we are able of making every possible effort courageously and determinedly, in order to maintain and further reinforce the relationships of trust between states and citizens in our region.
It is our duty towards the next generations to open new cooperation routes; to proceed at a new pace, with a fresh insight and a new dynamic.
Guidance should be obtained only from the economic growth, the prosperity and progress of our people.
History teaches us again that the quality of life and the social progress of our people may not be ensured only by the means and mechanisms of defence, if it is not at the same time accompanied by well-governed states, a high level of social cohesion, protection, solidarity and a high degree of efficiency of our democratic institutions.
I believe it is clear to all of us that stability and economic growth have a two-way relationship.
There can be no economic growth without stability, but also stability may not lead on its own to economic growth.
The wider region of South Eastern Europe provides significant opportunities for business cooperation, since large energy paths and routes of international trade converge therein. The challenge of ensuring energy security increases more than ever the demand for cross-border cooperation between our countries.
The SEDM initiative takes place at a very important area. My country and the Greek Armed Forces in particular, during the last couple of years but also now, dealt with an unfamiliar issue with international dimensions admittedly successfully and in line with respect for human rights of people seeking a safe place. The agreement between the European Union and Turkey, which is in our opinion for the benefit of all parties involved, played an important role to the balance of refugee flows. In any case the stabilization of the region is essential, since any instability and conflicts give rise to refugee flows. In any case, stability, cooperation, progress and above all, peace is what we need.
Subsequently, taking into consideration that our region is often affected by heatwaves and forest fires, there is no alternative but to enter into a dialogue on strengthening the cooperation on one hand in order to deal with natural disasters, with the purpose of relieving affected parts of the population and on the other hand to examine a procedure for a coordinated forest fire fighting.
Ladies and Gentlement,
The priority goals of Greek Chairmanship are the following:
To maintain and strengthen stability, through initiatives undertaken in the frame of SEDM, so that the cooperation in the fields of economy and development would be allowed. The Multinational South Eastern Europe Brigade (SEEBRIG), which constitutes SEDM’s military arm, constitutes a sign of effective cooperation between our countries and reinforcement of security and stability in our region.
To reinforce the promotion of additional initiatives in our region, such as the Centre for Security Cooperation in South Eastern Europe (RACVIAC), with the purpose of building peace in our region.
To encourage synergies with other organizations, such as the UN, NATO, EU, but also other partners, on any issue of common interest and concern.
To support actions of solidarity, social cohesion and application of international law for the benefit of our citizens.
To promote all efforts in terms of dialogue on the transformation of SEDM towards dealing with new security challenges.
The success of our mission depends on one hand on the breadth and the substantial way of achieving cooperation in actions and initiatives of all SEDM members and on the other hand, on the real willingness of all of us to establish principles and values that will form good neighborly and solidarity relations between our people. The Greek government intends to provide aid and encouragement.
Concluding, I would like to thank both the previous Chairman of SEDM, Ambassador Mr. Levent BILGEN and the outgoing Commander of SEEBRIG, Brigadier General Faruk METIN for their valuable contribution to the overall effort being made to promote security, stability and peace in the region.
Moreover, from this podium, I would like to wish every success in the difficult and demanding work of both the new Chairman of the Chairmanship / Secretaryship of the Politico-military Steering Committee (PMSC) and the Coordination Committee (SEDM-CC) of the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial Coordination Committee (SEDM), Ambassador Mr. Lefteris Angelopoulos, and the Brigadier General, Tudorica Petrache, taking over the commander function of SEEBRIG.
Thank you”.
