The important role our country plays -despite its fiscal problems- in South-eastern Mediterranean was recognised by the Lebanese political leadership during the two-day official visit the Minister of National Defence Panos Panagiotopoulos paid in Beirut, following an invitation extended by the Lebanese Government.
Mr. Panagiotopoulos was received by the President of the Republic of Lebanon Mr. Michel Sleiman and the Prime Minister Mr. Najib Mikati. Moreover, he held discussions with the Minister of Defence Mr. Fayez Ghosn, the Deputy Prime Minister Mr. Samir Mokbel, the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon Mr. Nabih Berri, the Chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces General Jean Kahwaji, the former Prime Minister and head of the Coalition of 14th March in Lebanon Mr. Fouad Siniora and the Druze leader and leader of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Mr. Walid Joumblatt.
Moreover, the Minister of National Defence visited the grave of the assassinated former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri and paid honours.
After the meetings, the Minister of National Defence made the following statement:
“I am here in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, following an official invitation extended by the government, aiming at promoting bilateral relations in the field of military and defence cooperation, as well as in other areas.
I had the chance to meet the entire political leadership, the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the Parliament, the Minister of Defence, the Chief of the Armed Forces and the most eminent delegates of the Lebanese political world and political parties.
The key message emerging from the contacts I made here is that Greece, despite its fiscal problems, is a country that plays an important role in the area, in our neighbourhood, in the Mediterranean.
It is a country that constitutes the political connection between Europe and the NATO Alliance with the countries of the Mediterranean, the Middle East; with its policy, Greece further contributes, and can contribute even more, with more decisiveness, to the establishment of a framework of stability, safety and good cooperation between all peoples living in the broader area”.
