The Minister of National Defence Mr. Panos Panagiotopoulos met today with the President of the Union of Greek Shipowners Mr. Theodoros Veniamis and the member of the board of the Union of Greek Shipowners, responsible for piracy issues, Mr. Ioannis Lyras. The meeting was also attended by the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff General Michail Kostarakos, the Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff Vice Admiral Kosmas Christidis and the Ministry’s Special Secretary Mr. Antonis Oikonomou.

After the completion of their meeting, Mr. Panagiotopoulos and Mr. Veniamis made the following statements:

P. PANAGIOTOPOULOS: We had an essential discussion with the resident of the Union of Greek Shipowners Mr. Veniamis and the member of the board of the Union of Greek Shipowners, responsible for piracy issues, Mr. Lyras, on the initiatives we have taken as Ministry of National Defence in the framework of the European Union and NATO, in order to fight piracy. A fact developed around the Horn of Africa, affecting the Greek, as well as the global, maritime activity.

In this framework, during the past informal meeting of the Ministers of Defence of the European Union which took place in Nicosia, we took initiatives by bringing up the issue, something we also did in the framework of NATO works in Brussels; thus aiming at establishing effective and organised measures that will fight this issue and avert its further growth and propagation.

So, we had this exchange of views to realise how we can be helpful in this aspect of global marine, which is represented by Greek interests which make our country very proud, but also a champion in all four corners of the earth.

T. VENIAMIS: I would like to thank the Minister, as well as the attendants to this meeting. It was, indeed, very useful and at the right track.

We think that the Hellenic state supports this effort, so that we can access all international organisations, especially NATO and Europe, in order to be able to build these measures that will end piracy, not only in Somalia but also in other parts of the world, and eliminate this problem.

We owe a lot to the Ministry, particularly to the Minister who with the initiatives he has taken lately, but also the ones he will take in the future, will help us to the maximum at achieving our goal.

P. PANAGIOTOPOULOS: What we ask of you, during the time of the crisis, is to stand by the Hellenic people…