The General Director of National Defence Policy and International Relations of the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence Dr. Konstantinos P. Balomenos participated in the 1st Quadrilateral Meeting of National Defence Policy Directors of Cyprus, Greece, Italy and France, which took place on 12 and 13 October 2021 in Nicosia, in the framework of the Quadripatrite Initiative – QUAD, following the completion of the quadrilateral exercise “EUNOMIA-2/2021” held in the Eastern Mediterranean from 4 to 7 October 2021.
On the first day of the proceedings, a working group meeting took place between Greece and Cyprus, where the two Defence Policy Directors, Commander Dimitrios Kassinis HN and Dr. Konstantinos P. Balomenos exchanged views on bilateral defence cooperation issues at bilateral and European level.
Subsequently, the General Director of National Defence Policy and International Relations Dr. Konstantinos P. Balomenos along with the Greek delegation officials were welcomed by the Chief of the National Guard General Staff Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis, from whom they were informed about the mission and work of the National Guard and also had the opportunity to discuss emerging geostrategic/geopolitical and security threats in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
The first day of the Quadrilateral Meeting ended with a working dinner, during which foreign policy and security issues were discussed and the Cypriot side informed about its actions and initiatives in the region.
On Wednesday 13 October 2021, the proceedings of the Quadripartite Cooperation began — at the Ministry of National Defence in Nicosia — with the participation of the General Director of National Defence Policy and International Relations Dr Konstantinos P. Balomenos, his Cypriot counterpart, Commander Dimitrios Cassinis, the French official Guillame Ollagnier and the Italian Major General Giovanni Iannucci (via videoconference).
During the subsequent consultations, the latest developments and progress in the areas of defence and security were reviewed. In addition, the common determination to further strengthen defence and military cooperation with a view to promoting peace, stability and prosperity in the Eastern Mediterranean region was underlined. The Defence Policy Directors also looked at expanding their defence cooperation on military, training, exercises and co-training. Moreover, the prospect of developing defence cooperation against hybrid threats and other challenges faced by each country was considered.
In the margins of the meeting, the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Charalambos Petridis welcomed the Defence Policy Directors, and praised the role of the Quadrilateral initiative, as an important tool of defence diplomacy to safeguard security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
After the completion of the Quadrilateral meeting proceedings, a bilateral meeting followed between the General Director of National Defence Policy and International Relations Dr. Konstantinos P. Balmenos and his French counterpart, Mr Guillaume Ollagnier, during which the strategic partnership between Greece and France was welcomed, in the light of the of the new developments, following the ratification of the Strategic Partnership for the Cooperation in the Defence and Security between the two countries.
In addition, the joint activities of the Armed Forces of the two countries were discussed, as in the case of EMASoH (European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz), the common vision for ensuring freedom of navigation, peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as European issues, such as strengthening the EU’s strategic autonomy and defence initiatives, completing the Compass Strategy, etc.
Finally, the Greek delegation, at the invitation of the Cypriot Defence Policy Director, Commander Dimitrios Kassinis HN, visited the Cyprus Research and Rescue Coordination Centre (KKSED), where it was informed of how the Centre is organised and operates, as well as the role it can play in the Eastern Mediterranean region in the execution of humanitarian operations.
