The Minister of National Defence Mr. Panos Panagiotopoulos, met with the executive director of the American-Jewish Committee (AJC) Mr. David Harris, who was accompanied by an AJC delegation, the President of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece Mr. David Saltiel and the President of the Jewish Community of Athens Mr. Benjamin Albalas.
The AJC delegation was comprised of: Edward (Ned) Dubilo, Samuel Fishman, Harriet P. Schleifer, Carlyn Steiner, Michael Tichnor, Daniel Schwammenthal, Ellisa Sagor, Gregory Pappas and Eftichia Tsoubou-Ezrati.
The meeting between the Minister of National Defence and the members of the AJC was also attended by Mr. Andy Manatos, distinguished member of the Greek community in Washington.
During their meeting, matters pertaining to the relations between Greece, Israel and the United States of America were discussed.
After the completion of their meeting, Mr. Panos Panagiotopoulos and Mr. David Harris made the following statements:
P. PANAGIOTOPOULOS: I would like to welcome the delegation of the American-Jewish Committee that visited the Ministry of National Defence, accompanied by distinguished members of the Hellenic-American community, like Mr. Manatos.
This is not our first time meeting here, at the Ministry of National Defence, with a delegation of the American-Jewish Committee. We consider these meetings very fruitful, since they are realized at a very critical period for Greek interests and for the course of Greece.
At the same time, we believe that this cooperation and friendship that is growing among the Greek and the Jewish societies in the United States of America is helpful to Greece and will be even more so in the future.
We never concealed that as Ministry of National Defence we honour Greece’s signature to our alliances, we honour our relations with our allies in Europe, as well as in the Unites States, enhancing these relations.
Moreover, we never concealed that we are working very hard for the essential enhancement and progress of the relations between our Ministry and the respective Ministry of Israel without, naturally, abandoning our traditionally good and close relations between Greece and the Arab peoples.
We believe that the enhancement of our country’s relations with Israel is giving Greece a role, allowing it – along with the good relations it has with Arab peoples – to effectively contribute to the reinstatement of a framework of stability, security and peaceful coexistence for all peoples in the broader region of the Middle-East.
Since I am given the opportunity, thanks to the very important presence of Mr. David Harris, Mr. Andy Manatos, our friends who are here accompanied by the presiding committees of Greece’s in general and Athens’ Israeli communities Mr. Saltiel and Mr. Albala, I would like to send a message of friendship and affirm that the Greek people have made many great sacrifices in all sectors. We have rectified past mistakes and now we think that it is time we felt our friends by our side, supporting Greece even more.
This is the message I would like to send – through our good friends of the American-Jewish Committee – to the United States of America and to our friends there.
Once more, I would like to thank you for your presence here and to reiterate that here, at the Ministry of National Defence, we are willing to do our utmost and work even harder so as to be able to show that our country’s geostrategic and geopolitical position, combined with the very efficient Hellenic Armed Forces, despite the budget cuts and the fiscal problems, are for both Greece and our allies a strong card, for us all to cooperate for peace and collaboration of peoples in the broader region.
D. HARRIS: It is a great honour for us and our whole delegation to meet and discuss with our friend, the Minister of National Defence. Our delegation consists of the President of the Central Board of Jewish Communities in Greece Mr. David Saltiel and the President of the Jewish Community of Athens Mr. Benjamin Albalas, with whom we have a long friendship and who are members of the Greek-American community for many years, of our dear friend Mr. Andy Manatos and the board of the AJC, who have come from Seattle, Washington, Massachusetts, New York and so forth, so as to demonstrate their friendship and concern for Greece during these critical times, but also to be briefed my Mr. Panagiotopoulos on matters of mutual interest.
We had a very fruitful and friendly discussion, just like the last time we met with Mr. Minister, in June 2012. We shared our hopes for further reinforcement of the relations among Greece, the United States and Israel, three allied countries, three democratic countries. We shared the concern on Iran’s nuclear program and its implications on the Middle East and Europe.
We both expressed the hope for further cooperation between Israel and Greece and, as far as the energy department is concerned, between Greece, Israel and Cyprus.
As you can see, we did not spare matters for discussion. We consider the Greek Minister of National Defence a good friend, not only for AJC, but also for the United States and for Israel, and we are grateful for the effort he makes.
We are looking forward to meeting him again, as soon as we will be given the chance, and to continuing the discussion on these matters.
Thank you.
