The General Director of National Defence Policy and International Relations, Dr. Konstantinos Balomenos participated in the NATO Defence Policy Directors’ Meeting, held in Brussels between 27 and 28 April 2022. The main axes of the discussion were the situation in Ukraine and the formation of the Alliance’s defence forces’ disposition in the light of the relevant developments in the region.
In the context of his intervention on the conflict in Ukraine, Dr. Balomenos condemned the Russian invasion as an unacceptable violation of international law, and expressed Greece’s solidarity and support to the defending country, in this fight against the flagrant violation of its national sovereignty and the blatant threat against its territorial integrity. He also decried the atrocities that have taken place recently against the Ukrainian people.
At the same time, the General Director of National Defence Policy and International Relations stressed the need for the Alliance to be vigilant against Russian aggression which poses a clear threat to the Euro-Atlantic area. On the other hand, he underlined the need to avoid an escalation on the part of NATO, which would potentially lead to a conflict with Moscow, which is totally undesirable. In this context, he pointed out the need to respect reasonable proportionality in the measures taken against Russia.
Regarding the Alliance’s new defense disposition which is under way, Dr. Balomenos acknowledged the need to shield the Alliance’s eastern wing, while stressing that the emerging dangers and threats in the South should not be overlooked. He also referred to the positive prospect of cooperation with the EU in the field of security, particularly in this geographical area. At the same time, the General Director of National Defence Policy and International Relations noted that NATO’s new strategic framework needs to take into account areas of innovative military applications, the importance of resilience for critical infrastructure and the value of a robust accounting support for the armed forces.
