The Minister of National Defence Mr. Dimitris Avramopoulos made the following statement concerning today’s article published in the newspaper “City Press”.

“The contents of this publication are completely inaccurate, malign, slanderous, but also suspicious as far as the derivation of its sources of “information” is concerned.

In regard to the payment of the submarines, whose procurement had been validated by a law of the government under Papandreou (l.3885/2010), as well as to all other procurement of defence materiel, we have made clear by statements, but also in the Parliament, that no payments would be done without the approval of the Armament Committee of the Parliament. And, for the submarines cited in the article, no payments have been made.

As far as the frigates are concerned, no payments have been made, nor will there be made. As I have already stated in the Armament Committee of the Parliament, no new procurements will be made, by virtue of the financial crisis our country experiences. Neither the funds, nor the intentions exist.

The policy of the Ministry of National defence is to ensure the effectiveness of the Armed Forces and to conserve their existing infrastructure. For this reason, we have taken care of the matter in time”.