The General Director of National Defence Policy and International Relations (GDNDPIR) of the Ministry of National Defence (MoD) Dr. Konstantinos Balomenos participated in the 3rd Quartet Meeting of Defence Policy Directors of QUAD (Greece, Cyprus, Italy and France) which took place on 30 November 2023 in Rome.
This meeting took place in the context of Quadripartite Cooperation – QUAD, following the completion of the exercise “EUNOMIA-4/2023” held in the Eastern Mediterranean from 11 to 14 September 2023.
In addition to the General Director of GDNDPIR Dr. Konstantinos Balomenos, in the Quartet Meeting participated his Cypriot counterpart Lt.Col. Neophytos Neophytou, the French official M. Alexandre Escorcia, and the Italian Director of Defence Policy, RAdm. Gianfranco Annunziata.
The purpose of the QUAD Quartet Initiative activities is to maintain and improve the interoperability and cooperation between the Armed Forces of the four Allied countries, as well as strengthen their joint naval and air presence in the area of the Eastern Mediterranean.
This initiative also demonstrates the collective and strong commitment of the four countries to implement the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the customary international law, to respect the rules of law and freedom of navigation in the Eastern Mediterranean and, finally, maintain regional stability and security in the wider region.
In this light, the “EUNOMIA” exercise is considered to be of paramount national importance.
During the consultations, a review of the latest developments and the progress achieved in the areas of defence and security in the Eastern Mediterranean region was made, and the lessons learned from the exercise “EUNOMIA – 4/2023”, as well as the actions to be taken for the new year were examined.
Furthermore, the four Directors of Defence Policy examined the extension of their defence cooperation to other areas, such as joint crisis response in the region, training activities, etc.
In particular, the main pillars of the discussions were:
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The assessment of the objectives achieved and the lessons learned from the exercise ‘EUNOMIA – 4/2023’.
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The consequences of the crisis in the Middle East and ways of ensuring peace, security, stability and prosperity in the wider region.
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The way to further promote the EUNOMIA initiative and exercise through a targeted Strategic Communication campaign.
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The broadening of this initiative by inviting new partners to participate in.
Following the conclusion of the consultations, the four officials acknowledging the importance of their countries’ cooperation in the wider region of Europe, the Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean, agreed to continue their effort to strengthen this initiative, within their remit.
In addition, it was decided that the next aeronautical exercise ‘EUNOMIA- 5/2024’ will be organised by Greece.
In this context, views and proposals were expressed for a common framework of actions, and the prospect of further developing the EUNOMIA exercise into a strategic pillar of European Security was considered.
