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 Major General LEE-Gi Sung, Chief Officer of the United Nations Command/Military Armistice Committee, as part of Major General’s visits to European countries. The meeting was attended by the Director of International and Public Relations, Colonel Konstantinos Vlachos, the Director of Reserve Warriors, War Victims and Disabled Warriors of the Ministry of National Defence, Colonel Panagiotis Spyropoulos, and representatives of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff.
The two officials discussed issues of Greek veterans of the Korean War, exchanged views on the current security situation on the Korean peninsula and the operations of the United Nations Administration, and laid the foundations for deepening relations between Greece and that Committee.
In the context of the above, it was agreed that it is imperative to strongly support all goodwill initiatives aiming at alleviating tensions and building confidence in the Korean Peninsula within the framework of international law and the values of the United Nations Charter.
To this end, it was proposed by the Greek side to seek synergies that could enhance the Committee’s efficiency.
Dr. Balomenos warmly thanked the Republic of Korea for its interest in the Greek veterans of the Korean War and praised the initiative of the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans to relocate the Greek “Memorandum of War” to a prominent location in the Yeoju region, while expressing Greece’s strong desire to inaugurate the monument, as part of a visit by a high-level Greek delegation.
In addition, he stressed the importance of exploring all possible options to support Korean War veterans and their families, including living conditions as well as medical and financial support. He underlined the value of cooperation between the government agencies of the participating nations responsible for veteran affairs, which are a fundamental task in this cooperation.
For his part, Major General LEE-Gi Sung thanked Dr. Balomenos for his warm welcome and congratulated Greece on the management of the pandemic, while stressing that his visit to Greece was among others a first-class opportunity to satisfy his personal desire to visit the cradle of Democracy, the Acropolis.
Referring to the veterans of the Korean War, he stressed that it is his country’s obligation to pay tribute to those who fought there, since, as he said, if it were not for countries like Greece, the Republic of Korea would not exist. He then underlined the security challenges that his country faces, referring in particular to the recent weapon tests of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
Dr Balomenos condemned the above actions, describing them as a serious threat to international and regional peace and security, while both officials agreed on the need for an international order based on the rules of international law, including the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the fundamental principles enshrined in the UN Charter.
The General Director of National Defence Policy and International Relations then briefly referred to the current security situation in the Eastern Mediterranean, the challenges and risks in the wider region, stressed that both countries know very well what it means to live with “difficult neighbours”, and highlighted the Defence Diplomacy initiatives promoted by Greece through bilateral and multilateral military cooperation.
In concluding, Dr. Balomenos reiterated that the ties between the two peoples are based on solid foundations that have been forged under particularly difficult conditions when soldiers from Greece and Korea fought 72 years ago, side by side, along with other nations, defending the ideals of freedom and democracy.
