Greece devoted to peace and stability in the region, Nat. Defense Min. Apostolakis says
File Photo: Ο Ευάγγελος Αποστολάκης. ANA-MPA, STR
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Greece and Cyprus serve as points of stability in the East Mediterranean, but will not accept the violation of their sovereign rights, Greek National Defence Minister Evangelos Apostolakis said in an interview to Cyprus News Agency (CNA) on Friday.
Both countries, he said “seek to guarantee of peace in the greater region,” yet Greece “is not willing to compromise in the defense of its sovereign rights,” Apostolakis stressed.
- At the same time, however, Greece “wishes to keep an open channel of communication with Turkey in order to prevent unjustified tension,” and this is obvious from the recent meetings of delegations on Confidence-Building Measures between the two countries.
The defense minister also expressed his belief that, based on recent EU decisions and the stance of the United States and the global community, “it is unlikely that Turkey will attempt exploration in the Greek continental shelf.” Apostolakis was referring to recent incidents of Turkey entering Cyprus’ EEZ waters and the ensuing EU’s decision to consider measures, as well as the tension with the US over Turkey’s possible purchase of S-400 missile defense system from Russia.
Greece looks towards its allies for help in the unlikely case tension with Turkey reaches a peak in the Aegean, the minister told CNA, but noted that preventing such an incident was a priority.
- “We have built strong alliances in recent years,” he noted, which will act as deterrents to such incidents.
Asked to comment on the outcome of the US-Turkey conflict, he told CNA he could not guess, but believes that Turkey is trying to tone down the tension witht the US. In relation to NATO, to which Turkey is also member, Apostolakis said that NATO’s resilience in geopolitical challenges “is due to its adaptability to evolving conditions and to the high institutionalisation of its operations.”
- Comparing the balance of powers between Greece and Turkey, the defense minister said “it’s obvious it has been disrupted, partly because of the long era of economic crisis Greece experienced.”
Elaborating, he noted, “It’s self-evident that it’s not pleasant to have Turkey acquire such capabilities. The issue of the S-400 (anti-aircraft missiles) is very serious. The Turkish side claims it is a defense system, but if these are placed in the Aegean and the Mediterranean area, their range will also cover us. The F-35 fighter plane is a fifth-generation aircraft.
- It’s a great platform, that in order to be faced you need state-of-the-art systems of timely warning and detection, and the best anti-missile system. Of course, we too must acquire the latest generation of aircraft.”
The long-term economic crisis resulted in freezing many new armaments programs, Apostolakis said, “but we moved on to optimization, and with a rational management of funds and budgets managed to maintain the operational capacity of Greek Armed Forces to a very satisfactory degree.”
(Source: Cyprus News Agency)
Source: ANA-MPA
HRADF launches international tender to sell 30 pct stake in Athens International Airport