The Minister of National Defence Evangelos Apostolakis visited the Supreme Joint War College in Thessaloniki, on Wednesday 19 June 2019, where he addressed the students of the 16th Training Series. After the speech he talked with the students.
The Minister analysed the aspects which compose the modern security environment, with emphasis in the Balkan region, the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.
He then referred to Turkey’s violating stance in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. A special mention was made of the illegal Turkish actions in the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone. The Minister stressed that Greece in coordination with Cyprus, the EU and other international actors, proceeds to all the necessary actions to face the Turkish challenges.
Further on, the Minister of National Defence stressed the dual dimension of the Armed Forces’ work, domestically and abroad. Domestically he stressed their powerful deterrent operational ability at a joint level, as well as their critical contribution in a wide spectrum of activities regarding contribution to society. Regarding actions abroad, he underlined their active participation in the context of NATO-EU-UN as well as in the context of defence diplomacy initiatives, at a bilateral and multilateral level.
The Minister of National Defence made also reference of the general context of the Armed Forces reorganisation and of their operational capabilities.
A special mention was made of the Armed Forces personnel, which constitutes the greatest comparative advantage and force multiplier. The Minister noted that the care for the members of the Armed Forces constitutes the highest priority of the Ministry of National Defence, reciting measures which aim to improve their professional expertise as well as their everyday lives (e.g. enactment of Law 4609/19, establishment of joint clinics, new Officers’ Military Residencies, various training activities).
In his final remarks, the Minister of National Defence called the College’s students to contribute to the further upgrade of the Armed Forces, by preserving their values and traditions, submitting novel ideas, taking the initiative, actively participating in the decision-making processes and constantly caring for the personnel.
