The Minister of National Defence Mr. Panos Panagiotopoulos, participated today at the works of the “1st International Summit, Energy Security & Defence, Future Strategies” which was organised at the Zappeion Mansion, by DefenceNet Media.
The Summit was also attended by the Deputy Ministers of National Defence Mr. Panaghiotis Karambelas and Mr. Dimitrios Elefsiniotis, the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff General Michail Kostarakos and the Chief of the Hellenic Air Force General Staff Lieutenant General (AF) Antonios Tsantirakis.
The key points of Mr. Panagiotopoulos’ speech are the following:
Currently in Greece the people are making a tremendous effort for National salvation and National reform, led by a Coalition government of three political parties, Prime Minister of which is Antonis Samaras.
The first signs of optimism have appeared in the horizon. We have a long way ahead of us, however it is better to climb the stairs, even when panting yet climbing, rather than diving head down. Just like the country was, few time ago.
Consequently we have a long way ahead of us, yet we will cover it in unity and accord. And we will make it. Reform will come much faster than some might believe and in the years to come, the new generation will live in a different Greece, released by any mistake, indolence and dereliction our generation produced.
Nonetheless, as I have said before, there is a prerequisite: preserving national security, national sovereign, national integrity, and national independence.
These are the supreme benefits currently consolidated and ensured by the Hellenic Armed Forces. The country’s Armed Forces are a part of the Hellenic people. They come from the world of labour, from the middle class of Greek society.
They have assumed a great historical burden, yet they do so in pride, dignity and devotion to duty, dissociating their everyday problems; because they, just like all Greeks, have a difficult everyday life.
They dissociate these problems from their dedication to duty, devotion to the Nation, commitment to the mission they were assigned by the Nation, the Hellenic people, the Constitution of the Hellenic Democratic Republic…
What defines Greece and should be our flag brandishing to all directions is that we are a key-country for the global security system; particularly, a key country for the western security system, for the security system of the Western World, the one we have chosen and where we will carry on belonging.
This is not my personal allegation. It is an ascertainment founded on the country’s geostrategic and geopolitical position.
Therefore, Greece is not a country characterised by this current temporary financial and fiscal crisis. Others have been through similar situations and some more will experience them in the future; I mean other countries. Therefore, Greece is a country characterised traditionally by the fact that it is a key setting for the global system, and especially for the western security system in the region.
However, we would not be able to achieve all this if it wasn’t for the sacrifices made by the Hellenic people and the contribution of important funds difficultly raised by their savings for defence matters, but also if we did not have such capable and efficient Armed Forces.
It is something our neighbours, friends and non-friends, admit; it is something our NATO allies, in the defence branch, in the EDA (European Defence Agency), in the EU defence branch and so forth, admit.
Therefore this reality, which no one can deprive us of, should be promoted to our Number One strategic argument.
There aren’t many countries in the area with military bases, Armed Forces’ bases, such as the base of Souda Bay.
The allies that have passed by this base only have positive comments for its operational and other capabilities, combining their passing and stay there with further activities offered by the ambient in Greece: hospitality, climate, diet, warm and friendly welcome by the inhabitants but, before all, excellent cooperation with the Hellenic Armed Forces.
Allow me to remind you our country’s close cooperation relations with Qatar – I have the honour to accompany the Prime Minister to the trip he will make on Tuesday and Wednesday – and the further enhancement of relations at defence and military level with this specific small country, which nonetheless develops an important role to our broader region.
It all started with the hosting of crews of the Qatari Air Force Mirage military aircraft, who resided at Souda while they participated in allies operations against the Qaddafi regime in Libya, and these relations were further enhanced.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the initiatives taken by the Government are of great importance, especially at Prime Minister level. We shall see them evolving in the following months. Those months until the end of spring will be extremely important for all these issues, as far as what is done at the level of the Prime Minister, as well as at the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Avramopoulos, but also at the level of other Ministries that handle the country’s extroversion as a fact that needs to be further evolved. Allow me to elaborate, since we should first praise our house, on the level of the Ministry of National Defence of the Hellenic Republic, which I have the honour to lead.
We have developed initiatives that fortify our defence and the country’s National security, while at the same time decisively contribute to the rectification of a context of security, stability, good neighbourly relations and cooperation in the broader region, where we also belong.
As far as the Ministry of National Defence is concerned, we pay particular attention to the country’s presence to all European bodies regarding our pertinence. We pay special attention to Greece’s factual solidarity -even though we experience a period of financial tightness- to other European partners, like the recent example of France that, as you all know, hinted all European allies to assist her in the case of Mali.
Greece was amidst the first countries that announced to Athens – through the Minister of Foreign Affairs – and to Brussels – through the Ministry of National Defence – that at first we will send training officers who will positively assist to the training of African countries’ military forces.
However, our policy is not to simply observe the circumstances and the facts, it operates based on some basic and distinct axes; I am referring to the country’s National Security policy.
The first axis is to strengthen our relations at European level. Countries, such as Germany and France, besides any disagreements or possible diversifications, have a definitive role to matters of our country’s defence cooperation and defence policy. At a corresponding, friendly level for the establishment of specific results, positive for Greece.
Moreover, we pay much attention to the enhancement of our bilateral relations, as well as to the relations at NATO level with countries such as the United States of America. I have publicly said in the past and I will say once more that it is time to shake off the anti-americanism syndrome that hit us immediately after the regime change and made us a priori negative to things we should discuss and confront using debate and persuasion.
I cooperate with the United States and I recognise the reasons why I should be closer to them, yet that does not mean that I necessarily accept their policy at all levels. I have the right, or the obligation, since I disagree with my friend and ally, to tell them so in person…
However, this is something different from the need to break the shell of traditional anti-americanism that tormented the country after the change of regime and until nowadays. Our only standard should be Greece’s national interest, without prejudice.
Moreover, we pay particular attention, and we also enhance at a very fast pace the relations of defence and military cooperation, with countries in our region, with neighbouring countries, such as the state of Israel.
I believe that one of the greater impediments in Greek political life during the past years has been the fact that Greece was one of the last countries to recognise the state of Israel.
I would like to remind you that the state of Israel had been recognised by the then Soviet Union, which had an accord of pre-emptive military cooperation with the Arab countries that, during that period, were just coming out of state of war with Israel. The Soviet Union had recognised Israel and Greece was one of the last countries refusing to recognise it.
This does not mean that we can identify to everything with Israel. Wherever we disagree with our friends, we should just express it. That is the meaning of friendship and good cooperation. Yet, I insist that the development of defence and military cooperation relations with Israel is our strategic choice. Nevertheless, this should not hinder us from further developing our traditional friendship and cooperation relations with the Arab world.
This opening towards Israel should, under no circumstances, diminish the role of Greece to the Arab countries. We have traditional relations with the Arabs; we have never been a colonial power to the Arab world.
We have always been a friendly power, bringing peace and stability, growth commerce, civilisation in the area, and this is written in these peoples’ DNA. The Greek nation and all those we represent are respected and accepted, we are friends of these peoples.
As Ministry of National defence, we have accomplished a series of visits to these countries. We have strengthened the relations between the General Staffs at all levels. Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Qatar, in few weeks I will visit the UAE, we will accompany the President of the Hellenic Republic Mr. Karolos Papoulias to the excellent steps he makes, in favour of our nation, towards the Arab countries. As far as I know, the President will soon visit Iraq and he will also perform a series of visits to the Arabic Maghreb.
Greece has a role to play in this area, Greece is offering her good services and is ready to mediate at all levels, so as to resolve regional issues, since it believes in the instauration of a framework for stability, security and good neighbouring relations in the region.
Moreover, Greece invites our neighbouring Turkey to adjust to this environment, which we should restore, and stop making infringements and violations to the airspace of the Aegean, as well as to our sea borders since, as I had the chance to underline during the bilateral meeting we had in Brussels with mu Turkish colleague Mr. Ismet Yilmaz, all this activity will offer Turkey nothing.
Greece is decided, and we show it explicitly, not to allow anyone to question the Hellenic Republic’s sovereign rights.
Therefore, this kind of behaviour, such as infringements and violations to our airspace and sea borders in the Aegean, destabilise the spirit of cooperation and good neighbouring relations, as well as the framework of security and stability in the region.
We do not wish for this kind of atmosphere, we would like Turkey to participate to these procedures and, when such behaviours -that do not contribute to this end- occur, we denounce them. We are sorry and we point out that such behaviours are absolutely wrong.
May I add a couple of thoughts; the Government of the Prime Minister Antonis Samaras does not give ground, not a millimetre, to what the country’s Prime Minister was pre-electorally committed to achieve, as far as the Exclusive Economic Zone is concerned.
However, at the same time we need to underline that the Prime Minister is the one to calculate the facts, the correlation, the circumstances, and the one to implement the relative decisions, when the time is right for the country’s national interest…
I believe that the time has come to ameliorate the country’s geostrategic and geopolitical role. I believe that it is time we accelerated our pace at all international fora, where the country is present and active, and make our role essential in international alliances.
Since honouring traditional alliances does not mean having the doors closed for new actors in the area. The fact that Greece is a part of the western world does not mean that Greece does not keep its door open for China, for example, like the Governments of New Democracy rightly did in cooperation with Cosco or the Russian Federation, with brave opportunities which concerned specific plans in the area of economy, but also foreign policy and defence.
All the aforementioned derive from a new concept of upgrading the geostrategic and geopolitical role of a country we should be the first to believe in.
This is the policy we implement and will continue implementing by the Ministry of National Defence, further devoted to our goals since, ladies and gentlemen, we believe that this is what imminently serves the Hellenic people’s national interest, in the middle and long term.
