The Minister of National Defence Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos attended the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence, which was held in Brussels on 21 and 22 October 2021.

In his address, the Minister of National Defence stressed that the approval of the SACEUR’s AOR-wide Strategic Plan constitutes further proof of the Alliance’s ability to ensure prosperity and security within the framework of widespread instability, which includes migration flows instrumentalised for political purposes.

Regarding the countering of the missile threat, Mr. Panagiotopoulos stressed the importance of the newly-established Integrated Air and Missile Defence Center of Excellence (IAMD CoE), led by Greece, which was opened this week in Souda, Crete. Furthermore, he added the need to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a harbor for international terrorism, since any such revival could readily spread to the broader Central Asia, Middle East, and North Africa.

The Minister urged the prevention of migration flows from Afghanistan to Europe, since they will create new great problems.

Finally, he stressed the importance of the further enhancement of the NATO – EU relationship and the need to upgrade it at the strategic level, based on the principles of inclusion, transparency, reciprocity, and respect of autonomy of the two Organisations.

In his address during the Meeting of Ministers, Mr. Panagiotopoulos stressed that the Greece – France Strategic Partnership Agreement, among others, enhances interoperability between their Armed Forces, thus contributing to the collective security of Alliance and EU nations, as well as to the better burden sharing within the framework of NATO. In the same vein, the signing of the Protocol of Amendment to the Mutual Defence Cooperation Agreement between Greece and the US, countries with strong and long commitment to the objectives of the Alliance, strengthens Transatlantic bonds and, as also in the case of the Agreement with France, enhances collective security, supports common values, and promotes common interests.

Within the framework of the Meeting of NATO Ministers of Defence, the Minister of National Defence met with several of his foreign counterparts.