Greece to Boost Defence, Eyes Regional Cooperation

At a press conference following the NATO Summit in The Hague, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced plans to strengthen Greece’s armed forces, framing defence spending as a key driver of national development. He underscored the goal of building a robust domestic defence industry, CE Report quotes Athens-Macedonia

Mitsotakis met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of the summit. “We raised the necessary issues and are working to set a date for the Greece-Türkiye High Cooperation Council,” he said.

Responding to questions about closer ties between Türkiye and the US, Mitsotakis clarified that Greece does not define itself in relation to others and warned against reducing major summits to bilateral disputes.

Addressing NATO leaders, Mitsotakis called for vigilance over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and condemned the recent terrorist attack on a Christian church in Damascus. He also welcomed the Alliance’s push for increased defence spending, pointing out Greece’s consistent 2% GDP commitment even during economic hardship.

Mitsotakis strongly opposed the Turcolibyan memorandum, labeling it illegal and baseless, and said Greece would seek to include this stance in the EU Summit conclusions.

He also addressed rising migrant flows from Libya to Crete, revealing plans to deploy Greek naval vessels outside Libya’s territorial waters and work with EU and Libyan authorities to curb departures.