The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis conducted an official visit to the Ministry of National Defence, on Wednesday 17 July 2019, where he was received by the Minister of National Defence Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos and the Deputy Minister of National Defence Alkiviadis Stefanis. After the reception ceremony, the Prime Minister was comprehensively briefed by the Chief of HNDGS General Christos Christodoulou and then by the Chiefs of the General Staffs, the Chief of HNGS Vice Admiral Nikolaos Tsounis, the Chief of HAGS Lieutenant General Georgios Kambas and the Chief of HAFGS Lieutenant General Georgios Blioumis.

Thereafter, the Prime Minister visited the National Operations Centre, where he communicated, through teleconference, with the Armed Forces personnel serving:

• At an Army Surveillance Outpost on Megisti island.

• On the SPETSAI Frigate, which is currently on patrol.

• At the echelon of aircrafts on alert from the 130 Battle Group, on Lemnos island.

After the conclusion of the visit, the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Minister of National Defence Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos proceeded to the following statements:

N. Panagiotopoulos: “Today, we had the pleasure and honour to receive at the Ministry of National Defence the country’s new Prime Minister, so as to have the opportunity, because that is how we perceived the occasion, to brief him on the current condition of the Armed Forces, our immediate future priorities, the operational problems, but also the prospects of their resolution.

I would like to particularly thank him for his immediate positive response, regarding the scheduling of this visit. I would like to thank the members of the Armed Forces, the Staff and HQs for the exceptional and comprehensive briefing which they conducted for the Prime Minister, so that we can all comprehend the situation we are in, where we want to head for and line up even more intensively to achieve the goals we have set from the beginning, to enhance readiness, combativeness and the deterrent force of the country’s Armed Forces.

Prime Minister, we thank you”.

K. Mitsotakis: It is with great pleasure that I am visiting today the Ministry of National Defence. It is a visit of both symbolic and substantial nature. I would like to thank the Chiefs and the Staff Officers for the comprehensive briefing they conducted for me and for the substantial discussion we had for the priorities which we have to develop regarding our defence policy. I was very satisfied to once more ascertain the absolute operational readiness, the combativeness but also the exceptionally high morale of the Armed Forces. Despite the great problems and the consequences of a crisis which lasted for ten years, with financial consequences for the budgets of the Armed Forces too, that which remains unbent and unscathed is the morale of the troops. I would like, on this occasion, to express my thanks but also my pride to all the women and men of the Armed Forces. Because they constitute the soul of the Armed Forces and the might of our deterrent force. Thank you Minister for the highly interesting and substantial briefing and I wish strength to you all”.