“Through constant crises, self-sacrifice, effort, self-denial, and based on the legacy of the Greek people, we are building the most powerful Greece we have ever seen”, underlined the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, in a speech at the air base of Soudas, in the 115th Fighter Wing, in the context of the completion of the Greece-USA Bilateral Interdisciplinary Joint Training “POSEIDON’S RAGE 22”.
As the Minister of Foreign Affairs stated, Greek and American pilots trained together for the second year in a row “over the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean in a wide range of scenarios and a wide range of missions, but with a single goal: To maintain peace, stability and of democracy”.
He noted that this was the first live-fire training of F-35s in Europe and the first deployment of an entire squadron to another base.
“More and more European allies are choosing the F-35 fighter jet for their own air forces, including Greece,” stressed Mr. Dendias and expressed the hope that we will soon see American F-35s training alongside Greek F-35s .
“In recent years, Greece and the US have significantly upgraded their defense cooperation, including with two protocols, which I had the honor to sign with my American counterparts”, he pointed out and reminded that new military installations in the mainland Greece.
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine proved that we were right in our strategic prediction”, he underlined and added that “the port of Alexandroupoli has become an important entry point for the deployment of American forces, but also an important energy hub”.
“Greece and the US have once again stood side by side to preserve their fundamental values, despite the unprecedented attack on our values by the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” the foreign minister said.
He noted that both countries have sent humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine and imposed heavy sanctions on Russia, as have all of our allies, “with one exception.”
“Our historically troubled region cannot tolerate any more provocative, aggressive and revisionist actions and attitudes. We must work together to maintain peace, security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and beyond,” stressed Mr. Dendias.
As he pointed out, Greece has been moving along this path in recent years, having signed agreements on the delimitation of maritime zones with Italy and Egypt, having agreed with Albania to refer the matter to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, with the natural gas forum of the East Mediterranean Gas Forum, the agreements with France and the UAE, the numerous multilateral forms of cooperation with our reliable regional partners, including the 3+1 cooperation with Israel, Cyprus and the USA. He also expressed the hope that this scheme will become a quadripartite one as soon as possible.
Finally, the Secretary of State said he was “extremely proud”, “not only of the excellent machines behind me, which ensure air superiority in our region, but also of the excellent manpower in front of me”.
“The USA and the Hellenic Republic stand together against revisionism, against anything that threatens the national sovereignty, the territorial integrity of the countries” is the “clear message” from today’s visit to Souda, as underlined by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, in his statement to reporters.
Mr. Dendias, together with the Deputy Minister of National Defence, Nikos Hardalia, the head of the GEETHA, General Konstantinos Floros, the head of the GEA, Lieutenant General Themistocles Bourolias and the US Ambassador, George Tsunis, were today at the Souda Air Base, in the 115th Wing Battle in order to participate in the day of Distinguished Visitors, in the context of the Greece-USA Bilateral Interdisciplinary Co-education “POSEIDON’S RAGE 22”.
As Mr. Dendias pointed out, Greece and the USA “stand together in the name of the protection of International Law, based on the excellent machines you see around us, but above all on the excellent human resources of the Hellenic Air Force and the American Air Force, who cooperated in various important exercises in recent days in the Eastern Mediterranean”.
“What is being done is an exercise that indicates our will to protect the values of democracy, stability, security, territorial integrity,” the foreign minister concluded.
