D. AVRAMOPOULOS: The visit of the Secretary general of NATO, Mr. Anders Rasmussen, a truly significant personality with prominent work in the Atlantic Alliance, is an additional affirmation of the special importance that the Alliance attributes to the role of our country, being a reliable ally and an agent of stability in South-Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean.
Greece, during its contemporary historical course, has honoured its partner and allied commitments, fighting by the side of all those nations that defended human rights, Democracy and Freedom.
With my friend, the Secretary General of NATO, we had a fruitful and constructive exchange of views; on the role and the perspectives of the Alliance, the modern challenges in the field of security and the broader geopolitical correlations and the alterations following them.
The Hellenic defence system, the Hellenic Armed Forces are among the most effective at international scale and our country disposes one of the strongest defence systems in Europe, even maybe worldwide.
Based on our fiscal data and the necessary rationalisation of defence expenditures in all Western nations, we have established and we develop, within the framework of the Alliance, the principle of “smart defence”. An initiative that is attributed to Mr. Rasmussen and that gave NATO new substance and a new dynamic prospect.
We act accordingly in the framework of the European Defence Agency, based on the principle of “pooling and sharing”.
The reinforcement of the allied cooperation between NATO and EDA will contribute to the adoption of the most effective solutions as for the member-states’ defence needs. Of course, NATO and EDA keep coming closer, serving the same common goals.
In an international environment of constant, deep modifications, NATO has been called and it has contributed to the keeping of peace and the accomplishment of international missions.
I had the opportunity to inform the Secretary General of NATO on Cyprus’ candidature for accession in “Partnership for Peace” (PfP), something that will be to the benefit of peace and security in the broader region.
Our country, with its continuous stable and stabilising role, always based on the principles of International Law and honouring and abiding by its allied commitments, contributes appropriately, essentially and decisively to the Alliance and to the issue of international peace and security.
In this spirit we had today’s meeting with the Secretary General of NATO, whom I would like to welcome once more in the city of Athens; following the cooperation we had in the past, in my quality as Minister of Defence, but also in the meantime while I was Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as now.
I would like to assure him that we will carry on cooperating in the spirit that accompanies our relations all these years, as well as our personal friendship which is strong and plays its own role to the field where Greece’s and NATO’s interests, as well as the North-Atlantic Alliance’s modern role, meet.
Α. RASMUSSEN: Minister, Mr. Avramopoulos, dear Dimitrios, thank you for a very fruitful meeting this morning and thank you for your kind words.
We discussed NATO’s operations, where Greece is making a valuable contribution. We also discussed the participation of Greece in multinational party acts, so as to make our forces more capable and better connected. I thank you for your continued commitment.
Later this month we will meet again in Brussels with NATO Defence Ministers, to chart the path towards our summit next year. We will take important steps in shaping the NATO of the future, making sure our forces have the equipment they need and undertake the exercises they need, to be able to deal with any threat.
This is not an easy task. We face a range of threats, which are more diverse and more complex than ever before, from terrorism and piracy to cyber-attacks. We are called to face those threats in a time of unprecedented austerity. But it is a task which we must accomplish, for the sake of our own security.
The most effective way to do it is to work together, developing modern military capabilities together, so that we share the cost of development and the benefit of success.
Moreover, by training together so that groups from across the Alliance, and beyond, operate as a single, seamless force. But also consulting together, on the full range of issues which affect our security, both within the Alliance and with partners who share our commitment to international peace and stability.
Making sure that we stay ahead of the threats we face will take determination, and it will take leadership. I look forward to Greece’s full support in this, as we come together to build the NATO of the future.
Thank you.