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“We are not going to send weapons for which we will not have taken care of their replacement,” said National Defense Minister Nikos Panayotopoulos, while briefing the parliamentary committee on the issue of defense assistance to Ukraine.
“We will not provide anti-aircraft missiles of our islands or anti-ship missiles, no matter how much they ask us to, because we have a real threat,” said Mr. Panagiotopoulos. He reiterated that “we will not do anything that will weaken the country’s defense order.”
In fact, answering a question from the SYRIZA MP, Thodoris Dritsa, whether we will send other weapons, Mr. Panagiotopoulos said that we are not in the mood to send the S-300. We are not in the mood to send the anti-aircraft guns we have deployed to the islands. They will come and ask constantly. In order to send something, we must have taken care of its replacement, said the Minister of National Defense: “What we need, what is useful, and mainly operationally active, we do not intend to release it.”
Mr. Panagiotopoulos also referred to the request for the disclosure of information related to the shipment of equipment to Ukraine, but also to the possibility of such information being made known by military sources: with the total number of our potential “said Mr. Panagiotopoulos. Such information should not be made public – in any direction – lightly, the minister said. “If it is to reveal such information, let us be content with the information system of Rizospastis. I will not do such a thing,” said Mr. Panagiotopoulos, adding that he would raise the issue with the leaders of the Armed Forces, to see what they would do with it. Swiss cheese, which is the information system, leaked by the staffs or units at each level. He even expressed the wish that all those involved in the National Defense behave, “due responsibility” so that not all information is accessible to anyone.
“The revision will not pass”
We support the Ukrainian people and send a message to those who embrace revisionism that “it will not pass”, stressed the Minister of National Defense Nikos Panayotopoulos in Parliament, in the context of briefing the relevant parliamentary committee on the issue of defense assistance to Ukraine. When some people understand only the language of the power of arms either to deal with the engagement or to prevent it, the countries that are against revisionism must do the same, said Mr. Panagiotopoulos, noting that (the Greeks) are next to our allies, we understand our position in the EU and NATO, and we do, nothing more or less, than everyone does: We continue to support the Ukrainian people, while at the same time sending a message to those who embrace this revisionism, and we say that it will not pass!
He even stressed that we can not follow a convenient and painless (so far) policy of distancing from everything, (that is) “not to get involved in this quarrel”. As Mr. Panagiotopoulos characteristically said, “when the whole mountain has caught fire, we must not say that our house should be saved and encircled next to it, and we should see the fire raging and coming down…”.
Referring to the military equipment sent to Ukraine, and without mentioning the relevant quantities, he said that it consists of ammunition, missiles and launchers.
In fact, when asked by opposition MPs to provide specific information, he said that the parties are available to inform the Ministry of Defense, while reiterating that the defense material provided to Ukraine is not critical operationally and does not affect the level of our stocks. “If there was a suspicion of weakening we would not have any of them.”
Responding in particular to SYRIZA MPs Th. Dritsa and G. Tsipras who noted that in other countries there is detailed information about the weapons sent to Ukraine, Mr. Panagiotopoulos said that “I am not the Portuguese Minister of Defense or Luxembourg. When I leave “Outside defense, I have to do it with special responsibility. When I say we gave x out of this system and we have ψ, so we have the margin, a lot of people listen. Not Spaniards and Dutch. Finally take responsibility,” he said. Panagiotopoulos.
Source: Capital
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