On Tuesday 6 September 2022, the Deputy Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Hardalias, and the Minister of Defence Armaments of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Donghwan Eom, signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Seoul, between the Ministry of National Defence and the Defence Acquisition Program Administration, in order to cooperate in gaining mutual benefits, with regard to Defence Industry and Material-Technical Cooperation.
More specifically, the two Parties will explore ways and prospects of reinforcing their defence cooperation in the following fields:
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Exchange of information regarding Defence Industry and Defence Acquisition Policy.
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Provision of information regarding defence material.
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Exchange of information regarding defence sciences.
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Determination and support of research/ development/ production joint opportunities.
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Quality Assurance.
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Any other field of cooperation that can be jointly decided by the Parties.
The event was attended by the Greek Ambassador in Korea, Ms. Aikaterini Loupa, and on behalf of the Republic of Korea, the Director General of the International Cooperations Directorate of the Defence Armaments Ministry, Mr. Saeng Kim and the Director of the International Cooperations Department of the Defence Armaments Ministry in Europe and Asia, Mr. Sungmin Ma.
Upon the signing of the Memorandum, a bilateral meeting took place between Mr. Hardalias and Mr. Eom, in a friendly climate, during which, the high trust level and common will were pointed out, so that the countries may promote and reinforce their bilateral cooperation both in the defence sector and in areas of joint interest.
Following his bilateral contacts, the Deputy Minister of National Defence met with the Support and Defence Industries Alternate Deputy Minister of the UAE Defence Ministry, Major General Dr. Mubarak Saeed Ghafan Al Jabri.
In a cordial climate, the strong ties of friendship between the two countries were confirmed, issues of mutual interest focusing on the perspectives of further deepening the bilateral military cooperation were discussed, and views were exchanged regarding the current regional and international developments, as well as their consequences on the global security and stability.
Furthermore, the Deputy Minister of National Defence visited the Korean War Museum and laid a wreath at the commemorative stele dedicated to the Greek participation in the Korean War, paying tribute to the 196 Greek fallen heroes.
Finally, Mr. Hardalias attended an official dinner hosted by the first Deputy Director of the National Security Office of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Tae-hyo Kim, for the heads of the national delegations, which will be participating in the International Conference of National Defence Deputy Ministers, “Seoul Defence Dialogue 2022”.
