The General Director of National Defence Policy and International Relations of the Ministry of National Defence, Dr. Konstantinos P. Balomenos held a working meeting with M. Henri Benjamin NTIKALA BOOTO, Chargé d’ Affaires in the Embassy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in Greece, in the framework of Greece’s extrovert defence diplomacy. The meeting was attended by the Consultant of the DRC Embassy Ms Hortense MULAMBA ALIMA, the Director of International and Public Relations of the Ministry of National Defence, Colonel Konstantinos Vlachos, and the officer responsible for Bilateral Defence Relations, Captain Dimitrios Chionis.
The two officials confirmed the two countries’ historical ties of friendship as a result of the significant presence of the Greek diaspora in the DRC since 1930, noted the gradual decline in contacts from the two sides since 1973 due to the nationalisation of the DRC and agreed that the meeting was an attempt to revive relations between the two countries.
The Chargé d’ Affaires in the Embassy of DRC then briefly presented the security situation in his country, as well as in the wider African region. He discussed with the General Director on the possibility of a defence cooperation between the two countries, the exchange of visits by high level officials, as well as the conduct of further activities for the exchange of know-how in the context of academic-military training, and research & development.
In this context, it has been agreed that all goodwill initiatives aimed at alleviating tensions and building trust between countries in the centre of the African continent are required to be strongly supported. To this end, synergies that could enhance stability in the region were discussed by both sides.
Dr. Balomenos condemned the phenomena of terrorism and hybrid threats in Africa, describing them as a serious threat to international and regional peace and security, and both officials agreed on the need for a more systematic fight against them.
In closing, the Chargé d’ Affaires in the Embassy of DRC thanked Dr. Balomenos for the warm welcome he received and his immediate response to meet, stressing that he hoped that his visit to the General Directorate could be the beginning of a harmonious bilateral political-military cooperation, given Greece’s internationally recognised role as a pillar of stability in the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean, and her operational experience in the management of hybrid threats.
Finally, a joint action plan was agreed to further improve bilateral relations.
