N. Hardalias: We are not going to fall into a trap of pre-planned escalation of tension with Turkey

“We are not going to fall into any trap of a pre-planned escalation of tension, but with absolute sobriety and calmness we are following the developments with particular attention and remain on constant vigilance”, pointed out the Deputy Minister of National Defense Nikos Hardalias in an interview with the newspaper “REAL NEWS” , on the occasion of Turkey’s provocative attitude, as he characterizes it.

Specifically answering a question about Greece’s reaction if the Turks attempt to deviate from their original NAVTEX, Mr. Hardalias commented: “Unfortunately for itself, Turkey does not seem to be listening to the spirit of the current international situation, which consists of a clear distinction between democratic states, which shape their foreign policy with International Law as a basic criterion, and those states that delude themselves that they can impose their intentions through the use of “hard power”. counterproductive stance, the government will do whatever is necessary to ensure the country’s sovereign rights on the one hand and stability and peace in the wider region on the other. We are not going to fall into any trap of pre-planned escalation of tension, but with absolute sobriety and calmness we are watching developments with particular attention and we remain on constant vigilance.The government throughout time it faces the challenges with undiminished determination, both in the field of foreign policy and in the field of our national defense. Our sovereign rights are fully enshrined in International Treaties and have strong foundations, based on our deterrence capability, our relations with our allies and undoubtedly the fact that it has become clear internationally that our country is on the side of law against to the revisionism adopted by other powers. Greece has both the will and the ability to be a key pillar of security and stability in the wider region. We are a security force, we are a peace force!”.

At the same time, on the occasion of alleged “information” by the Turkish media that Athens was watching with fear the activity in the port of Tasutsu in Mersina, where the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared the opening ceremony of the drilling ship “Abdul Hamid Khan”, the deputy minister of National Defense made it clear that “fear is an unknown concept in the Greek Armed Forces and in the Ministry of National Defense” and re-assured that “our Armed Forces are stronger than ever, continue to evolve non-negotiable at a geometrically increasing rate and guarantee the security of our homeland, ensuring the necessary conditions for the well-being of the Greek people”

Answering a question about Greek-Russian relations, Mr. Hardalias commented that “the current state of Greek-Russian relations does not give us any pleasure. But Greece, as a member of the “hard core” of the Western world, is consistently opposed to any form of revisionism, while its foreign policy is guided by International Law. Therefore, the government’s attitude towards the illegal invasion ordered by President Putin was one-way. We stand against every invader! And for us it is a clear matter of principle,” he repeated.

Regarding the official opposition’s criticism of the government for over-equipment and programs that endanger the country’s fiscal course, the Deputy Minister of National Defense reiterated that “for us, the defense of the country is an end in itself and we will never adopt a policy of “we’ll risk it” type. The New Democracy’s firm understanding of the importance of military equipment and the direction the Ministry of Defense has taken from Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is the following: Strong and modern Armed Forces, which will ensure the country’s invulnerability from every external threat, always with respect to the backlog of the Greek people and ensuring the parallel maintenance of the necessary fiscal balance. And for this we work hard and every day”.

Further commenting on the opposition’s insistence that the government could buy one less Rafale in order to procure ten firefighting planes, Mr. Hardalias replied: “This is another one of the blunders we are used to by the opposition, which unfortunately continues to majority of it to proceed with a logic of platitudes, simplifications and cheap populism. For us that ensuring national defense and security is a necessary prerequisite for the realization of other national goals and priorities. Our government is not going to make any “discount” on the protection of these paramount public goods”.

Regarding the case of the monitoring of the mobile phone of the president of PASOK-Movement of Change, Nikos Androulakis, the Deputy Minister of National Defense said: “The Prime Minister reacted immediately and decisively from the first moment he was informed about the legal connection of Mr. Androulakis’s mobile phone. Kyriakos Mitsotakis did not try to “hide” behind the beyond any doubt formal legality of the specific action of the EYP, which I remind you was carried out in accordance with the institutional framework on connections, which was passed by the SYRIZA government in 2018. On the contrary, he openly recognized the politically problematic nature of the incident, committed to the complete clarification of the case and announced changes in the way the EYP operates, with the aim of further institutional armoring”. “The first step has already been taken with the issuance of the Act of Legislative Content to strengthen the integrity of the operation of the EYP, on August 9”, he added and praised the work offered by the National Intelligence Service “in the direction of our permanent diplomatic and defense shielding, defense of our national security and the protection of our homeland from geopolitical movements, but also from asymmetric and hybrid threats”.

Finally, he assessed that as Deputy Minister of Civil Protection “we faced unprecedented situations with the pandemic, unprecedented for the whole planet, and I believe that the final result was particularly positive”. He praised the professionalism of the officers of the Civil Protection and the Armed Forces for the protection and safety of the Greeks.

Source: AMPE