The Minister of National Defence Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, signed today, Thursday 23 September 2021, with his Austrian counterpart Ms Klaudia Tanner, a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the cooperation between Greece and Austria in military issues, both at a staff and operational level.
In the context of the official visit of the Minister of National Defence to Vienna, he was received by his Austrian counterpart and discussed issues of mutual interest, regarding the bilateral defence cooperation, the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the European perspective of the Western Balkans and the risks arising from the situation in Afghanistan.
Following the conclusion of discussions and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding, Mr. Panagiotopoulos made the following address:
“Madam Minister,
It is a great pleasure and honour to visit Vienna today and to meet you here, at the Ministry of National Defence. Allow me to say a few words in the German language since we are here: Greece and Austria have a strong and long lasting friendship and they closely cooperate, as partners in the European Union. We share a common vision, common values and perspective, regarding the stability and the welfare of the wider region.
Returning to the Greek language, first allow me to thank you from the bottom of my heart for Austria’s essential and valuable assistance to my country, with regard to the devastating wild fires last summer. In Greece, we say that “real friendship shows in hard times” and what I want to say is that, as during the hardships in the summer of 2020 Austria stood by us, the same has happened this summer.
Today, we have had a very productive meeting to strengthen our defence cooperation. The Memorandum of Understanding, which we have just signed, serves exactly this purpose, specifying the cooperation fields and activities between our Ministries and the Armed Forces.
As partners in the European Union, I believe that we must extend our cooperation, in the context of the European Defence Initiatives, regarding programs of mutual interest.
With Madam Minister, we discussed the Security situation with our adjacent neighbours, the Eastern Mediterranean, a region of great strategic importance, with increasing opportunities and perspectives for stability, growth and welfare, but also challenges and threats for the states of the region and their allies, that we must face effectively.
Greece, which has always been a defender of peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, has now undertaken initiatives for the stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean. We have established strong alliances with the countries of the wider region, which share the same vision and the same values, based on International Law and the good neighbourly relations principle.
We also discussed about the Western Balkans, because we place great emphasis on their stability and welfare. Greece is a devoted supporter of the European perspective of the Western Balkans as a strategic goal.
In addition, as we are going through a period of serious challenges in Afghanistan, there is a risk of unusual migratory flows towards Europe. We believe that an effective cooperation is required, within EU as well, in order to support the countries which are directly adjacent to Afghanistan, and to avoid a migratory crisis in our borders.
I believe that today’s meeting outstanding outcome reflects the strong will of our governments to reinforce our defence cooperation as well.
With these words, I would like to thank Madam Minister Ms Tanner for the invitation, the warm welcoming and the outstanding hospitality. Dear fried Klaudia, I am looking forward to welcoming you in Athens!
Thank you”.
