Yesterday 27 and today 28 May 2021, the Minister of National Defence Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos participated in the informal EU Defence Ministers Meeting, held in Lisbon.

In his speech on the first day of the meeting’s works, during the working dinner also attended by NATO Secretary General Mr. Jens Stoltenberg, Mr. Panagiotopoulos highlighted that Greece fully supports the strengthening of the EU-NATO relations, based on transparency and mutuality, respecting the autonomy of each Organisation. He also stressed, in relation to the illegal actions of Belarus with the aircraft flying over its territory, that there need be a strong and decisive reaction.

Relating to the “Strategic Compass” he highlighted that there should be an immediate connection between the threat analysis and the respective capabilities that will be developed by the EU. He also pointed out that the European Defence Fund tools, should be used for Research and Development of modern and emerging technologies, while the emphasis should be placed upon the development of political (non-military) capabilities to tackle illegal migration and violent extremism. The Minister said that Greece is actively interested in the stability of the Sahel region and South-East Africa, fact which is proved by the recent opening of the Embassy of the Hellenic Republic in Dakar.

In the sidelines of the informal meeting, the Minister of National Defence had a bilateral meeting with his Italian counterpart Mr. Lorenzo Guerini, during which they talked about the defence –technical cooperation of the two countries , the security challenges in the South-Wing of NATO, as well as the developments in SE Mediterranean.