UK, Greece strengthen defense cooperation

Greece and the United Kingdom will sign a declaration of defense cooperation in the coming months, Leo Doherty, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Europe, has told Kathimerini.

Doherty visited Greece, meeting with Alternate Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis.

Doherty said that current developments make such a declaration necessary, even though the two countries signed a bilateral cooperation strategic framework in 2021. The framework set priorities for cooperation in education, shipping, defense, migration and tourism, as well as other sectors.

Doherty said Greece and the UK are closely coordinating in combating organized crime and terrorism, as well as in cooperation among the two countries’ judicial authorities. He added both countries will support the shipping industry as it transition to greener fuels.

Other issues the two countries have discussed are university student exchanges and cooperation in research and innovation.

UK may have exited the European Union in January 2020 but remains a “reliable partner” Doherty said.

The UK official also remarked that both countries denounced Russia’s “barbaric” invasion of Ukraine and that, besides the obvious cooperation within NATO, bilateral defense cooperation has focused on issues of training and interoperability.