The Deputy Minister of National Defence Mr. Nikolaos Hardalias, in the context of his official meeting to the United States of America, had yesterday, Tuesday 11 October 2022, key bilateral meetings with high-ranking U.S. Government Officials, at the Pentagon.

In particular, he had successive meetings with the U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Ms. Sasha N. Baker and the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Cyber Policy Ms. Mieke Εοyang; his meeting with the U.S. Under Secretary of Defence for Policy Dr. Colin H. Kahl did not take place, as he was diagnosed with Covid-19.

The continuous Turkish provocative behavior and its rhetoric contesting Greece’s sovereignty over the islands of the Eastern Aegean Sea, the threat to use military power and the Turkish side’s groundless theories for claiming land or sea territory, actions which, as a whole, are a flagrant violation of the principles of the UN founding Charter and of international law, were at the forefront of the discussions.

Matters pertaining to Cyber Security, as well as ways to enhance cooperation between the two countries, by exchanging know-how on managing and tackling the constantly changing Cyberspace landscape, were also discussed.

There was also an exchange of views on the developments in Ukraine after the Russian invasion, on the coordinated responses by NATO and International Organizations, on the impact to global security and stability, as well as on regional and international matters of mutual interest.

The meetings, held in a very cordial atmosphere, concluded assessing the major advantages of the Greek-U.S. strategic relationship, which may be extended to multiple sectors, through bilateral and multilateral cooperation models in the fields of Defence and Security.

The meetings were also attended by the Ambassador of Greece to the U.S. Ms. Alexandra Papadopoulou, and the Greek Defence Attaché.