The Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, inaugurated today, Saturday 10 September 2022, the Pavilion of the Ministry of National Defence at the 86th Thessaloniki International Fair.
The Prime Minister, Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis, visited earlier the Pavilion where he was given a tour by the Political and Military Leadership of the Ministry of National Defence and was informed of the exhibits, the simulators, the virtual reality devices and the operational capabilities of the items recently acquired by the Armed Forces.
The main message of the Pavilion, where the Armed Forces dynamically display their presence for the sixth consecutive year in Thessaloniki International Fair is: “Strong Defence – Powerful Greece”.
The inauguration ceremony was also attended by the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Panagiotis Pikrammenos, C Vice President of the Hellenic Parliament, Mr. Athanasios Bouras, the Minister for Climate Change and Civil Protection, Mr. Christos Stylianidis, the Deputy Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Hardalias, the Deputy Minister for Mental Health, Ms. Zoi Rapti, the Deputy Minister for Anti-Crime Policy, Mr. Lefteris Oikonomou, MPs, HNDGS/Chief General Konstantinos Floros, the Secretary General of the Ministry of National Defence, Mr. Antonios Oikonomou, HAGS/Chief Lieutenant General Charalambos Lalousis, HNGS/Chief Vice Admiral Stylianos Petrakis, HAFGS/Chief Lieutenant General Themistoklis Bourolias, Security Forces Chiefs, representatives of Regional and Local Administration, officials and Church representatives.
The Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, in his address, mentioned the following:
“Ladies and gentlemen,
It is with great pleasure that we are inaugurating today the Armed Forces Pavilion at the 86th Thessaloniki International Fair.
The Thessaloniki International Fair constitutes our Country’s most important business entrepreneurship and innovation institution. Since its establishment in 1926, it reflects the pace and climate, not only of the domestic, but of international business entrepreneurship as well, and functions as a meeting point of hundreds of Greek and foreign economic agents.
During this year’s event, the United Arab Emirates is the honored country, a friendly country, with a strong footprint in the wider area, especially in the field of Defence and Security. It is a pioneer in innovation and advanced technology. We have already developed close and multi-leveled relations with the United Arab Emirates, while we are seeking to further develop our bilateral relations and find new areas of cooperation.
For the sixth consecutive year, the Armed Forces, in the context of extroversion and contribution to the Greek people, dynamically display their presence in Thessaloniki International Fair.
Our Pavilion is one of the most famous, if not the most famous one of the Fair. This year, our approach focuses on the technological development and upgrade of the Armed Forces defence capabilities, presented since this morning with the appropriate audio-visual material.
The main message of our Pavilion is: “Strong Defence – Powerful Greece”. These four words declare both the effort already made in the last 3 years for our Armed Forces’ quality upgrade and our vision for a powerful Greece, without any security dilemmas and challenges, which will be dealt with respect at an international level.
For our Government, the enhancement of Defence has been early on a matter of great importance and it has been systematically designed based on three pillars:
The establishment of strong alliances.
The equipment of our Armed Forces.
And most importantly, the Personnel’s capabilities upgrade.
In this context, the Government, due to the international credibility it enjoys, as well as the initiatives it has taken, managed to organize a strong network of alliances and international cooperations with powerful global and regional actors.
The upgrade of our strategic relations with the U.S.A., the signing of the Defence Agreement with France, of Military Cooperation Agreements with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as a multitude of military cooperations with other countries of the region, sharing almost the same views with us regarding security and stability prospects and challenges in the region, like Egypt, Israel and Jordan, not only protect the country against Turkey’s provocative stance, but they also reinforce its international prestige and make it a regional actor to be reckoned with.
At the same time, we proceed to the technological upgrade and reinforcement of the Armed Forces, through the necessary armament programs, thus greatly increasing the deterring power of the country. If you believe that an important work has been made in this field, I inform you that nothing has been made so far and there is a lot to be done. However, we will keep on working to this direction. By all means, this is due to the outstanding pace and climate of cooperation between the Political and Military Leadership. It is not a case of one or two persons, but rather of many, and we are devoted to this goal. I would also like to add that the armament programs, which the country designs and implements, present and are about to present even more attractive opportunities for the domestic defence industry to recover. There will be many prospects and opportunities through the agreements that I described.
Nonetheless, all of the above would not have been made feasible without our Armed Forces Personnel being at their core, as well as the most important force multiplier of our Country. They managed through their professionalism, faith to our mission, sense of duty and determination to keep the Armed Forces morale and operational readiness at a very high level. They are the reason that all Greek women and men feel proud and of course safe that they will face any potential threat.
Therefore, I urge all visitors of the Fair to visit our Pavilion, to meet with the members, to exchange views and be informed of the Armed Forces overall contribution to the Country and the Society, in peacetime at a daily level.
In conclusion, I would like to congratulate the personnel that contributed to the establishment and flawless operation of our Pavilion. I would also like to congratulate the organizers and participants of the Fair on their outstanding effort, being certain of its success.
Although we experience an extremely difficult international context, an unprecedented worldwide situation, our country dynamically returns in a state of recovery and progress. I would like to reiterate this year’s message “Strong defence – powerful Greece”. Whatever anyone may want, whoever that might be, Greece will shield itself even more. Greece will be powerful. Greece will be a country to be reckoned with by everyone. This shows in the best possible way that investing in defence shields our country against any threat, deters anyone threatening our sovereign rights and territorial integrity, while at the same time Greece’s prestige is reinforced both at a regional and at an international level.
Thank you”.
The U.S. Ambassador, Mr. George Tsounis, and the Head of Central Macedonia District, Mr. Apostolos Tzitzikostas, also visited the Pavilion of the Ministry of National Defence.
It is noted that prior to the Pavilion’s inauguration, the Minister for National Defence and the Vice President of the Government, accompanied by HNDGS/Chief, visited the Pavilion of the honored country in the 86th Thessaloniki International Fair, that is the United Arab Emirates, where he was offered a tour and had a series of important meetings.
