The General Director of National Defence Policy and International Relations of the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence, Dr. Konstantinos Balomenos, in the context of strengthening bilateral defence relations between Greece and Finland, welcomed in Athens on Wednesday 2 November 2022, his Finnish counterpart Mr. Janne Kuusela, with whom he had bilateral consultations.
From the Greek side, the Deputy Director General, the Director of International Relations, as well as the staff of the Hellenic Ministry of Defence also took part in the meeting, while from the Finnish side, staff from the Research and Analysis Department of the Defence Policy Directorate of the Finnish Ministry of Defence participated.
During the consultations, the General Director Dr. Konstantinos Balomenos briefed his counterpart on major issues of Greek interest in the field of regional security and especially, in the Eastern Mediterranean region. He presented the national priorities within NATO, as well as Greece’s position in relation to Finland’s accession to NATO, highlighting also issues of European defence policy and cooperation.
In particular, Dr. Konstantinos Balomenos and his staff referred to the strategic importance of the wider Eastern Mediterranean region, presented the existing challenges and threats at national, regional and allied levels and highlighted the current framework of opportunities and cooperation possibilities to enhance stability, development and prosperity in the region.
A detailed analysis was made of the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on regional and European security, on the defence-military sector, the energy adequacy of the European Union (EU) states and the protection of critical infrastructure, as well as of the link between Russian aggression and military operations in Syria, and the possibility of future pressure on the Middle East and North African states.
Particular emphasis was placed on Turkey’s revisionist policy and the “new-Ottoman” Turkish ambitions against Greece. In particular, detailed statistics on Turkish air traffic violations of the Greek FIR and violations of Greek national territorial waters by Turkish navy and coast guard vessels were presented. In addition, the Greek side deconstructed the Turkish narrative about “the Blue Homeland” and Mr. Erdogan’s legally unfounded allegations about the demilitarisation of the Eastern Aegean islands.
In addition, the General Director Dr. Konstantinos Balomenos, criticised Turkey’s unconstructive stance on the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, as well as the obstacles that Turkey creates to the potential cooperation between the EU and NATO. At the same time, the General Director made an extensive reference to the migration issue and presented evidence of Turkey’s strategy of instrumentalisation of migration, highlighting, in particular, the hybrid tactics that Turkey uses in order to destabilise Greece and put pressure on the EU so as to meet its foreign policy objectives. In relation to this matter, Dr. Balomenos developed arguments that prove that Turkey poses a threat to both Greece and its allies within the EU and NATO.
As regards European defence cooperation, the Greek side highlighted the need for coherence, continuity, solidarity, stability and a balanced finding of solutions, given the ongoing war in Ukraine. A special reference was made to the “Strategic Compass” of the EU, which constitutes the main tool for shaping a strong and credible European defence policy. From the same perspective, reference was made to the role of Greece in the operation ‘IRINI’ for the consolidation of security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as to the role that the EU has to play in the wider region as a reliable security provider.
Finally, the two General Defence Policy Directors expressed the conviction that Greece and Finland share the same challenges and threats. Greece faces Turkey’s hybrid threats, while Finland is faced with Russia’s hybrid threats. In this light, a common will was identified to further strengthen defence and military cooperation with a view to developing a common stance on defence and security issues within NATO and the EU.
