Asked by a journalist about the developments in the Greek-Turkish relations, the Minister of National Defence Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos made the following statement:
“Of course Turkey’s stance has recently been rather aggressive. I believe that the only way Greece can deal with it is, on one hand, to exhaust all its diplomatic weapons and on the other hand, to cater for the increase of the deterrence power of the Armed Forces.
KATERINA TSAMOURI : I would like to ask you if you believe that we are ready, even for the more far-fetched scenario of military action, as the advisor to the Prime Minister Mr. Diakopoulos said…
NIKOLAOS PANAGIOTOPOULOS: Exactly! The National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister said that we are preparing for all eventualities.
Of course these eventualities include military engagement. We do not want to this to happen. However, we are making it clear towards all directions that we will do what it takes to defend our sovereign rights to the greatest extent, if you catch my drift….
