Minister pledges steps to strengthen deterrent power of Armed Forces

The Armed Forces effectively defended the land border Greece shares with Turkey along the Evros river in 2020 and safeguarded the country’s sovereign rights in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos said in a year-end assessment.

“[2020] was a year of heightened geopolitical volatility and multifaceted challenges and security threats in our region,” said Panagiotopoulos on Thursday, while pledging steps to strengthen “the combat capability and deterrent power” of the Armed Forces.

He said the forces’ objective in the new year would be to “promote security and stability in the wider Eastern Mediterranean and Balkan region.”

“Defending the country’s territorial integrity and sovereign rights are non-negotiable elements of our policy,” the defense minister said.