“We are in the 110th Combat Wing with the Ambassador of the United States of America. His presence here proves our country’s strategic cooperation with the USA, within NATO and the operation of a strong axis of stability in the wider area of the Mediterranean.

It is an axis of stability in which Greece plays a key role, and it extends to the South with the close relations, through Cyprus, with Israel, Jordan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates which participate in joint exercises with our Air Force and with the United States and other allied forces.

Souda, as the main port of the Alliance in the Mediterranean, also plays a particular role, as well as Larissa which evolves into an air force centre aimed not only to defend our national sovereignty and territorial integrity, but to support the Alliance in the area as well.

The same axis of stability extends to the North with the Balkan countries with which we establish close military relations in order to provide the possibility for peace and stability to expand also in areas of instability.

I would like to especially thank the officers, NCOs, conscripts and the civilian personnel for their excellent job.

I would also like to thank the people of Larissa because they have a positive attitude towards this cooperation and they all realize that this close cooperation with the United States in the field of defence and energy creates new possibilities for our country.

Greece will soon become a natural gas producer – and, later, maybe an oil producer – and the close cooperation between us, as well as the security that the presence of the United States of America provides, are of great importance”.