Tsipras supervises military exercise, says borders are safe

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday traveled to Alexandroupoli in northern Greece to supervise an army training exercise and sat in the cockpit of a C-130 military transport aircraft for a test flight.

In comments to reporters, Tsipras stressed that Greece had no security problems, despite being located within a "triangle of destabilization formed by Ukraine, Libya and Syria, and said he was impressed with the readiness of the Greek armed forces. "Our borders are safe," he said. The refugee crisis is a "major problem for all of Europe," he said, adding that Greece is affected more acutely due to its geographical position but also that Greeks feel solidarity with the refugees due to similar experiences in the past. 

Accompanied by Defense Minister Panos Kammenos, who leads the junior coalition party Independent Greeks, and State Minister Nikos Pappas, Tsipras watched the final phase of an annual military exercise dubbed "Parmenion" after the Macedonian general of Philip II and Alexander the Great. Both Tsipras and Kammenos donned fatigues for the occasion.

Fort the test flight in the C-130, Tsipras wore a Hellenic Air Force bomber jacket.