Minister of National Defense of Greece Nikos Panagiotopoulos signed today with his British counterpart Ben Wallace the Declaration of Defense Cooperation (Statement of Shared Vision) at Portsmouth Naval Base in the south England.

The purpose of this Declaration is “to strengthen the already close relations between the two countries so that they can face common threats and challenges together, as well as closer cooperation for the benefit of the armed forces of each country. At the same time, it creates the basis for future cooperation,” a spokesman for the British Ministry of Defense told APE-MPE.

The declaration also provides for joint military training as well as joint exercises. At the same time, it defines a new framework for cooperation to combat modern threats such as hybrid warfare and cyber attacks.

According to diplomatic sources, Panagiotopoulos and Wallace had a very warm meeting and were given the opportunity to discuss a number of issues concerning the two countries, thereby confirming both their very good relationship and the close relationship between the two countries. In this context, the UK Secretary of Defense called it inconceivable that after 2004 there had been no official visit by a Greek Minister of Defense to the United Kingdom.

Mr Wallace acknowledged the support given by Greece to British forces through facilities at Souda and Chania and for the first time the importance of the development of the Alexandroupolis base for both Europe and NATO was discussed.

It is also noteworthy that two ministers paid special attention to the law of the sea. The Declaration explicitly states that Greece and the United Kingdom are committed to eliminating threats to peace and security in the Mediterranean and to respecting international law and, in particular, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The two ministries of defense will meet once a year to update it.

According to diplomatic sources, the British defense secretary argued that tensions between Greece and Turkey could only be eased through NATO. In fact, according to the estimates of the same sources, this can only be done with an initiative based on the Solidarity Clause among the Allies of the North Atlantic Treaty.

The signing of the agreement took place on the flagship of the British Navy Diamond D34. This is the third in a series of highly efficient Type 45 destroyers and one of the most advanced warships in the world. The Greek minister was accompanied by a small delegation of employees and officials of the ministry.

In addition, this morning, Nikos Panagiotopoulos took part in an inspection of an honorary ceremony that took place at the famous Horse Guards parade in central London. There, among other things, a British military band played the navy anthem “Seaman of the Aegean” in honor of the Greek minister.

^{Source: APE-MEB}