Appointment of armed forces chief as defense minister ‘clear message,’ PM says

Receiving Hellenic Armed Forces Commander Evangelos Apostolakis at the Maximos Mansion on Monday, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras described his appointment of the military chief to defense minister, replacing outgoing junior coalition partner Panos Kammenos, as "a clear message on both the foreign and domestic level."

Apart from guaranteeing continuity in the sensitive area of defense, Apostolakis's appointment also sends the message regarding the defense of Greece's sovereign rights, Tsipras said, namely, "that we are united and they will find us united any moment they want to try anything that disputes our sovereignty," Tsipras said.

Apostolakis, for his part, said he would do his duty "far from political parties" and thanked Tsipras for the "extreme honor" he had bestowed on him by entrusting him with the helm of the ministry.

He also underlined the importance of unity, saying that the current circumstances "do not allow us any scope to not to be united." 

Apostolakis is to be sworn into his new post on Tuesday.