The Minister of National Defence Panos Kammenos accompanied by the Chief of HNDGS General Michail Kostarakos and the Chief of HAFGS Lieutenant General Christos Vaitsis visited the Air Tactics Centre, Andravida, where he was briefed about the joint medium scale exercise “Iniohos 2015” which is conducted with the participation of Air, Naval and Land forces’ units. For the first time US and Israeli forces also participate in the exercise.

The Minister of National Defence stated:

 «Madame Ambassador of Israel,

Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff,

Chief of the Hellenic Air Force General Staff,

Officers, NCOs, civilians,

This is a special moment for me and I am very pleased to be here today, in Andravida, in the 117th Air Combat Wing, an important operation unit, and also in the Air Tactics Centre which is the heart of the advanced training of the Hellenic Air Force.

I am very pleased because today we are watching and we are informed about the manner in which you work, you are trained and you conduct an important exercise, the annual air force exercise “INIOHOS” which tests the capabilities and skills of the Air Force, joint operations and air defence at a high level.

Moreover, this year we are particularly glad because through the wide participation of Israel’s aircraft and USA’s personnel, we are given a great chance to test also our cooperation skills with our allies’ air force. Three of the world’s best air forces meet each other and are trained here, in Andravida.

Apart from this great fact, we are pleased and honoured by the presence of Israel’s Ambassador, Ms. Irit Ben Abba and the military delegations of these two allied countries. I wish to thank them for their permanent cooperation, their contribution to the improvement of our defence relations.

Madame Ambassador, over the last years, our countries’ relations have taken a considerable boost which has come as a natural result of the relations between the two peoples, of the absence of bilateral problems, as well as of the significant capabilities and strong perspectives for cooperation between us.

There is also a parallel course of history which forges this relation. I am convinced that upgrading the relations of Greece and Israel is mutually profitable and contributed to the stability in the wider area of Eastern Mediterranean.

Greece is for Israel a safe and permanent geopolitical road to Europe and this is not based on occasional and variable parameters, but on scrupulous strategic decisions.

What peoples of the Eastern Mediterranean region need are honest relations among them by overcoming deadlocks of the past.

And from this corner of Greece and also from any of its corners, we send a message for peace and friendship to all our neighbours; a message for stability and constant effort for our citizens’ security.

The Greek defence does not regard only Greece, which is our major priority, but it also serves as a European foothold and bastion to every modern threat.

Greece is a key country of our regional security system because it is aware of the problems and particularities of the region and it maintains friendly relations with all sides. Our defence and foreign policy are a policy of steadfast principles and attitudes, based on regional cooperation within international organizations, and also a policy of equal bilateral relations.

Our countries’ geopolitical position is changing over the last years and cooperation, in order to confront a new enemy which is the Islamic fundamentalism, the Islamic caliphate which is rapidly developing in Northern Africa and Middle East, has a particular importance for us.

In this context Greece, as a NATO member, has substantially the political responsibility, using the base of Souda, to confront this threat in the fields of the Ally, and in parallel, it proceeds to a cooperation with Israel and other countries, such as Egypt, with which, when EEZ is delimitated, they will have common borders in the south.

Over the next days we will proceed to a defence agreement with Egypt. In early June, the Chief of HNDGS will visit Egypt. Ten days ago, the President of Egypt, Mr. Sisi, the Defence Minister, the Chief of General Staffs and I agreed that we will organise an exercise in early June with an echelon of the Hellenic Air Force and Mirage 2000 which are practically used for flights by Egypt’s Air Force too. This is particularly important because such cooperation will lead to the creation of a secure region which starts from Egypt, a country resisting to Islamic fundamentalism, and Israel.

Israel, Cyprus and Greece constitute an area which – why not – may become the new defence doctrine that will be expanded to the north, to Bulgaria and Romania – Greece will seek for it – also in cooperation with moderate countries of the Middle East. We have already started a cooperation with the Emir of Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi’s Air Force. The Air Force of the Emirates is already trained together with Greek pilots.

Greece’s geopolitical position is therefore particularly important and none should forget that we are the only who – from the first moment – state that such cooperations are necessary. Of course, we are a member of the European Union and NATO, we are close allies with the United States of America, we are allies with Israel, we are allies with Egypt, and we are allies and conduct talks with Arab countries, however, we should not forget that the same terrorists who attacked Boston, during the marathon a few years ago, are the same terrorists who struck the centre of Moscow. And on this matter Greece will take initiatives on international cooperations against this common threat.

Chief,

Today, apart from being informed by watching the exercise “INIOHOS 2015” which covers almost the entire Greek territory, I feel satisfied and certain that the protection of our borders, the protection of our country’s dignity are in very skilful hands.

Your excellent training as well as the ability of Air Units to take coordinated action among themselves, as well as with the other Branches of the Armed Forces and with our allied air forces, demonstrate clearly the high level of our national defence system; they demonstrate the battle-worthiness of the Greek Arms, the strong combat power of our Armed Forces and the high morale of our personnel.

Everyone separately and all together you did and you do show the attention, readiness and responsibility required by an exercise of this magnitude.

I am certain that the results will fully justify the hard work you did over these ten days of the exercise and the conclusions and lessons learned will be valuable for you to continue your work.

Our Armed Forces’ effectiveness, in the whole spectrum of their activities, is a message to everybody; a message to both our allies and partners and to potential adversaries as well; a message of reliability, cooperation, peace and stability, yet a message of deterrence as well.

It is true that our country goes through hard times. It is also true that we are meeting each other amid a difficult financial period that we are going through and everybody faces his personal difficulties.

The manner in which you work, in which you perform this exercise makes me assure all men and women of the Armed Forces that we too, as government, we are fully aware of our own mission.

The struggle that you give in your field, at a tactical level, the operational, everyday struggle, with the loneliness which you, pilots, face in the air, is the same struggle to the one that every government institution has to give in his field when they handle foreign policy and defence policy issues, and other issues as well.

We all gain benefit and take strength from your example, from the manner in which you perform your duties. We learn what it looks like to serve the country and the fellow citizens. We learn it also from our simple citizens who come to help and save tortured souls of immigrants who drown in the Mediterranean. This is the Greece that offers, the Greece of solidarity, the Greece of reliability.

You, as you did today too, you give me the strength, the certainly to say that we have the ability, the readiness and the will to confront any challenge.

You, as you did today, with your great and successful work, you explain why your country trusts its faith, why Greek people have high feelings of acknowledgement and gratitude to all of you and why the international community, in every multinational participation, hastens to express favourable comments and excellent views.

I wish to congratulate you and wish you all and your families health and prosperity.

I want on behalf of the Political and Military leadership, to thank all of you who were here with us today and to wish that we always have such contact of close cooperation that promoted mutual confidence and international security.

I wish especially to our air force soldiers that your patron saints, the Archangels be always on your wings and you have smooth landings.

Thank you.”

The audience was also addressed by the Chief of HAFGS Lieutenant General Christos Vaitsis and the Ambassador of Israel Irit Ben Abba.