Prime Minister Mitsotakis briefed the Parliament on Greece’s defence policy on Wednesday.
In his statement, Mitsotakis said that this is the most profound transformation of the Greek Armed Forces in the modern history of the country. “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance,” said US President Thomas Jefferson two centuries ago. A price that our country pays today with responsibility and consistency, recognising that there can be no progress without security. Proof of this is the subject of our meeting today, which is the long-term planning of defence spending,” the prime minister emphasised.
He added: “I would say that it is a comprehensive plan that concerns, in our opinion, the most profound transformation of the Armed Forces in the modern history of the country. When we talk about resources related to national defence, we obviously do not mean only spending and investments in military equipment, but primarily the fixed, stable investment of our country, which remains strong, stable, independent in a world that is changing at an unpredictable pace.”
As the prime minister stated: “Therefore, we are referring to a policy that is connected and that interacts with the entire spectrum of our collective interests. Because on a primary level, the importance of strong armed forces is more than obvious. Thanks to them, our country has prevented dangers such as the migration flows in Evros. It has defended its rights in every crisis that has occurred in the Aegean, while it already has strategic agreements with states such as the United States, France, alliances that provide security guarantees in an insecure international environment.”
“Greece’s strategic choices are becoming absolutely critical,” the prime minister noted, emphasising that it seems that “the defence perception of the US leadership is different in relation to the role of NATO, while its economic choices deviate from the current status quo. Therefore, the European Union is called upon to redefine its position. Greece and I personally have spoken for years about the need for the strategic autonomy of the European Union. In recent months, serious steps forward have been made, including the activation of the escape clause for the next four years, which allows our country to have additional fiscal space in order to strengthen its investments in defence.”
However, Mitsotakis clarified that “regardless of our fiscal capabilities, this fiscal flexibility will not become a reason for excesses, because, among other things, the markets are constantly watching and judging us.”
In addition, the Greek premier referred to the SAFE fund, amounting to 150 billion euros, but insisted that the EU must consider the creation of a fund for financing projects of common defence interest, and at this point, after invoking the position of the opposition parties on the Rearm Europe programme, he said MPs should ask themselves “who are patriots in words and who are patriots in practice.”
