The Deputy Minister of National Defense Mr. Nikolaos Hardalias participated today Wednesday, September 7, 2022, at the proceedings of the International Conference of Deputy Ministers of National Defense “Seoul Defense Dialogue 2022”.

The International Conference was held at the level of Deputy Ministers and Deputy Ministers of National Defense, senior officials and distinguished political security experts and focused on conducting a multilateral and constructive dialogue on issues of international peace, security and stability.

As part of the work of the International Conference, the Deputy Minister of National Defense had meetings with the Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Tae–keun Heythe Deputy Minister of Defense responsible for Australia’s International Policy, Mr. Tom Menaduethe Deputy Minister of Defense of Canada, Mr. Stephanie Beckthe Deputy Minister of Defense of the Republic of Ghana Mr. Kofi Amankwa-Manuthe Secretary General of the Ministry of Defense of Estonia, Mr. Kusti Salm, the Commander of the United Nations Command/Joint Forces Command of the United States of America in the Republic of Korea General Paul J. LaCamera and the Deputy Commander of the United Nations Command in the Republic of Korea Lt.-Gen Andrew Harrison.

On the sidelines of the Conference, the Deputy Minister of National Defense held a bilateral meeting with the Deputy Minister of Defense responsible for Strategic Relations of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mr. Ahmed Ali Aseeri. In a cordial atmosphere, the two Deputy Ministers confirmed the excellent relations between the two countries and agreed to intensify their efforts to strengthen bilateral military cooperation, which was ratified in July 2022 with the signing of the Greece-Saudi Arabia Military Cooperation Agreement, with the aim of regional stability and security.

Also, Mr. Hardalias held a bilateral meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Mr. Beom Chul Shin. The two Deputy Ministers referred to the strong ties of friendship between the two countries, pointed out the importance of the Memorandum of Understanding signed yesterday between the Ministry of Defense and the Defense Procurement Program Administration of the Republic of Korea, underlining that this Memorandum is a unique opportunity to further strengthen the defense cooperation in areas of mutual interest and contributes dynamically to the creation of common understanding and strategic thinking.

The Deputy Minister of National Defense was accompanied to the bilateral meetings by the Ambassador of Greece to Korea, Mr. Ekaterini Lupa.