The Minister of National Defence Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos met today, 11 March 2022, with the Minister of Defence of Indonesia Mr. Prabowo Subianto, in the context of his official visit το Greece.
The two ministers participated in the bilateral discussions held in the Conference Hall “Ioannis Kapodistrias”, regarding the further enhancement of the bilateral cooperation in the defence field.
The Chief/HNDGS General Konstantinos Floros, the Chief/HAGS Lieutenant General Charalambos Laloussis, the Chief/HNGS Vice Admiral Stylianos Petrakis HN and the Chief/HAFGS Lieutenant General Themistoklis Bourolias.
In his welcome speech, the Minister of National Defence underlined the following:
“Mr Minister,
It is a great pleasure to welcome you and your delegation to the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence.
First and foremost, I would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest sympathy and sincere condolences regarding the recent devastating earthquake in Indonesia’s Sumatra Island, which killed eleven people, injured more than four hundred and displaced more than thirteen thousand people.
Furthermore, we express our solidarity to the ongoing fight against the pandemic and have responded swiftly to the increased vaccination needs, by donating more than a million (1.065.700) vaccine doses through COVAX.
Greece and Indonesia maintain traditional, sincere and longstanding friendship and the relations between our two countries have been developing steadily over the last years.
Our main objective is to further strengthen our bilateral cooperation in political and economic sectors as well as expand our defence cooperation.
Maritime trade, shipping, research and development, tourism and defence industry are some of the areas that our efforts could be focused.
We consider the Republic of Indonesia as one of the main pillars of stability and security in the broader region of the Indo-Pacific, due to its history, size and strategic importance.
Our two countries share the same principles and values: faith in freedom, democracy, the rule of law and of course, respect for, and defence of, international law and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Greece and Indonesia face similar challenges across their territorial waters and maritime zones. Both our countries respond through policies based on the respect for International Law, the rejection of threat of use of force in international relations and the promotion of peaceful resolution of disputes. We furthermore work towards creating an environment of peace, stability and prosperity in close cooperation with countries which share the same vision and ideals.
However, we will continue to protect our sovereignty and our sovereign rights across our territory, on land, at sea, and in our airspace, against any threat, any aggressive, revisionist or expansionist behavior.”
After the discussions held by the two countries’ delegations, as well as the private meeting of the two Ministers, Mr. Panagiotopoulos stated the following:
“Mr. Minister,
It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence. Greece and Indonesia have forged close ties and sincere and longstanding friendship.
The visit of Minister Subianto to Greece and our meeting, today, highlights our common desire and the will of Greece and Indonesia to further expand and deepen our defence cooperation.
There is indeed a great potential for cooperation between our Ministries of Defence, and the Defence Industries of our two countries, and we have discussed ways to develop, mutually beneficial, synergies.
Today we also had the opportunity to exchange views on the security situation in our respective regions. Our countries face similar challenges and they both respond through policies based on the respect for International law and the United Nations Convention of the Law of the Sea, the rejection of threat of use of force in international relations and the promotion of peaceful resolution of disputes, in accordance with International Law.
The sovereignty and sovereign rights of every country should be fully protected against any aggressive, revisionist or expansionist behavior.
In this context, Greece unequivocally condemns Russian attack on Ukraine, which is a flagrant violation of International Law and universal values. The protection of the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of all states constitutes a fundamental principle for Greece.
Mr Minister,
I would like to cordially thank you, once again, for our excellent meeting and our fruitful and productive discussion and exchange of views. I am looking forward to working with you to further strengthen the Defence Cooperation between Greece and Indonesia.
Thank you!”
