The Head of the movement “Potami” (“The River”) Stavros Theodorakis visited the Ministry of National Defence today, where he was briefed by the Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias and the military leadership about the operational structure and the operation of the Armed Forces.

The briefing was attended by the Alternate Minister of National Defence Fofi Gennimata, the Deputy Minister of National Defence Ioannis Lambropoulos, the Chief of HNGS Vice Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, the Chief of HAFGS Lieutenant General Evangelos Tournas and the Chief of HAGS Lieutenant General Christos Manolas.

Before the briefing the Head of the movement “Potami” had a private meeting with the Minister of National Defence.

After the end of the briefing they addressed the following statements:

N.DENDIAS: Today I had the great pleasure to welcome the Head of “Potami” Mr. Stavros Theodorakis to the Ministry of National Defence and present him a detailed briefing about the current reality with regards to the Armed Forces and the significant role they play for the security of our country and of the Greek people.

All the questions which were asked by Mr. Theodorakis and his associates were answered during the thorough briefing conducted earlier in the special conference room.

We also listened to Mr. Theodorakis’ views about various defence matters which regards our country and our defence policy. I also assured him that we always are available to provide him or his associates with any information he may deem necessary.

S.THEODORAKIS: Thank you very much for welcoming me and for the briefing. The country goes through a very serious crisis and the sense that there is security, there is an alert army, is a necessary prerequisite for the existence some time of the much desirable growth.

It is important that despite the crisis and the cuts the sense of security inspired to the Greek people has not decreased. And this happened, I think, thanks to the persons, the personnel, the career officers, the conscripts, the people who have assumed the country’s security and I feel that I need to thank them from my side for this sense of security that I can feel in my country.

Everything else will come since this security exists. And by everything else I mean a financial growth which we all expect and a social uplift.

Thank you once more for the briefing and, please, convey, as I said also to your personnel, our thanks both for the briefing and for the sense of security that they offer to the country.

JOURNALIST: Given the financial stagnation of the country, should there be more cuts in the expenses for the National Defence?

S. THEODORAKIS: I am afraid that in defence too, as in many other fields, we moved from extravagance to stinginess. That is, we were famous for our extravagances also in the field of defence. There are many issues which have been discussed about it. But when the circumstances became to pressuring we moved to the opposite side and I have the feeling that we even touched the margin of stinginess.

I think that there are not many possibilities, I am not the expert, I have not all the files before me, however, I do not think that there is room for security cuts.

Of course, a rationalization of the expenses can always be done and the Minister apparently conducts it. We had a discussion about this and also about the various limits one should set within a Ministry to achieve as less expenses as possible along with the greatest possible effectiveness.

But Dendias has done this before; he is particularly capable of it. He did it also in the previous Ministries he served.