On Monday, 27 January 2020, the Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, accompanied by the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, General Konstantinos Floros, the Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff, Vice Admiral Stylianos Petrakis HN, the Chief of the Hellenic Air Force General Staff, Lieutenant General Georgios Blioumis HAF and the General Manager of the General Directorate of Defence Investments and Armaments, Lieutenant General Theodoros Lagios HAF (ret.), visited the ‘DIXMUDE’ Amphibious Assault Ship (Helicopter Carrier) of the French Navy, at Piraeus Port. The French ambassador to Greece, Mr. Patrick Maisonnave welcomed the Minister of National Defence on board the ‘Dixmude’ helicopter carrier.
The French Helicopter Carrier will participate in ‘ALEXANDER THE GREAT-2020’ Multinational, Joint Exercise among Greece-France- the USA, conducted as of today in Magnesia Prefecture and the Aegean wider region, and will be completed on the 8th of February.
On the occasion of his visit on board the ‘DIXMUDE’ Helicopter Carrier, the Minister of National Defence made the following address:
“Your Excellency Mr. Ambassador,
Distinguished guests,
I am actually on French ground, on board this extraordinary ship, the ‘DIXMUDE’ Helicopter Carrier, on the occasion of this tangible and I would say ‘floating’ proof of the strategic relation between the two countries, which is becoming reinforced and deepened, and I would like to believe that as of Wednesday, 29 January it will be further reinforced and deepened, due to the upcoming meeting of the two leaders in Paris.
It is a great pleasure to be on board the French helicopter carrier ‘DIXMUDE’ today, on the occasion of its arrival at the port of Piraeus.
The welcoming of friends and allies is always a pleasant event, especially nowadays, with the traditional friendship and alliance between Greece and France being not only well-timed, but also absolutely necessary, as a strong pillar of stability and security in the East Mediterranean region.
The current presence of ‘DIXMUDE’ here, at Piraeus, points out our common strong will, to unite our forces towards this direction.
Furthermore, as NATO and EU members, our two countries share the same vision, the same values and political aspirations, regarding the prosperity and stability in the wider region, compensating for the policy and the illegal actions of those who aim to its destabilisation.
In any case: The status in the region requires increased vigilance and enhanced deterrence and military presence capabilities. In this context, our defence cooperation is reinforced at all levels, beyond the traditionally close cooperation regarding armaments issues. The Greek and French Armed Forces are proceeding vigorously in the enhancement of their operational training, through joint exercises, like ‘ALEXANDER THE GREAT’ exercise, in which the French ship is participating, and the deployment of the TASK GROUP of ‘CHARLES DE GAULLE’ aircraft carrier, in which ‘SPETSAI’ Greek frigate is participating, as well as many other initiatives and cooperations, in which we jointly participate.
Finally, I would like to thank you for the invitation and hospitality on board this extraordinary ship and to wish the DIXMUDE’ crew and personnel safe journeys and may you proceed strongly in fulfilling your mission’.
