The government has invested more than 15 mln euros in defence, Hardalias says to ANA

Deputy
Defence Minister Nikos Hardalias referred to the Turkish provocation as
well as to the strengthening of the Armed Forces in an interview with
the Athens-Macedonian News Agency (ANA) released on Wednesday.

Hardalias
underlined that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ mandate from the
first days of his government’s tenure was clear: build the strongest
Armed Forces in the history of the modern Greek state. Thanks to the
proper management of resources, and the hard work carried out by all the
ministries and agencies involved, significant progress is being
recorded without deviating from our overall fiscal plan.

He
added: In the previous three years, the government invested more than
fifteen billion euros in defence. Not only for the acquisition of new
“first-line” weapon systems, such as the three “Belh@rra” frigates and
the twenty-four “Rafale” aircraft, but also for the military personnel,
who are the force multiplier of the Armed Forces. This is how we will
continue in 2023, which will be another critical year for upgrading of
our Armed Forces. We will have eighteen state-of-the-art “Rafale”
aircraft, the Navy will acquire three new anti-submarine warfare
helicopters of “ROMEO” type, and the upgrade of F-16s to the “Viper”
version will continue at an intensive pace. In total, for the period
2020-2023, defence spending will exceed twenty billion euros. An
investment aimed at consolidating the peace, stability and prosperity of
the country.

In terms of defence
diplomacy, he said, it is doing exceptionally well. “I will not only
tell you about the bilateral alliance with France, which even includes a
mutual defence assistance clause, about the relations with the United
States, which are stronger than ever, about our close ties with Israel,
or about the excellent cooperation we have with Egypt. Above all, I am
proud because our country is currently viewed as the main pillar of
stability in the south-eastern Mediterranean region. We have earned this
respect thanks to an active foreign and defence policy that
harmoniously combines commitment to peace, extroversion and the
strengthening of the Armed Forces.

Hardalias
stressed that for 2023, Greece has an additional big “bet”: To help the
European Union evolve into a real European Defence Union, the necessity
of which is greater than ever.

On
Ankara’s stance, he said that it remains deeply problematic. “We
observe unprecedented revisionism and challenges, combined with
dangerous practices on the ground. On our part, we are not concerned on
whether the escalation of this attitude, especially at the level of
rhetoric, is related to internal political expediencies of the Turkish
government in view of elections. Nor do we try to guess what is hidden
behind each new display of anti-Greek impudence on the opposite side of
the Aegean. Instead, we steadily continue our planning and always are
ready for any scenario, including the worst possible one.”