Greek, Armenian defence ministers meet in Athens, sign military cooperation agreement

Greek Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias met with his visiting counterpart of Armenia Suren Papikyan on Thursday.

After their meeting, Dendias stated “we condemn terrorism, we struggle for the protection of civilians, we support the right of everyone to live in their ancestral homes. We support the resumption of negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia with the participation of the European Union, to achieve conditions of peace and security for the peoples of the region. We stand by the Armenian people.”

This meeting, Dendias added, coincides with a period of great tensions, “seeing as the situation in the Caucasus – about which you so kindly briefed me – the developments in Ukraine, in the Middle East, all create several pockets of instability in the region.”

Against this instability, Greece holds a firm position, Dendiad noted: “we support dialogue based on the principles of the United Nations Charter and International Law. We support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, and stand firmly against any attempt to forcibly redraw borders.”

The Greek minister also mentioned the significance of signing a military cooperation agreement with Armenia on the day, which he said is of great priority for the Greek government “as the aim is to create a new, innovative system for the boosting of the Greek defence industry.”

In his part, Papikyan said that this bilateral military cooperation “has a rich history, and is based on the traditionally friendly relations between the two peoples, on the readiness for mutual support and on shared views overall.”