Defence Min Dendias: Creative strategies in armament programs and reforms in military service

Athens, Greece.- National Defence Minister Nikos Dendias speaking on Friday during the conference “Metapolitefsi 1974-2024: 50 Years of Greek Foreign Policy”, stressed the need for a “creative approach to the country’s arms programmes”.

Dendias pointed out that Greece must acquire “anti-drone capabilities” and at the same time develop “a defence dome”. He described the creation of a missile shield in the Aegean sea as a “more cost-effective solution than conventional approaches”.
He also announced changes to military service in the first half of 2025. He said the reforms would include “different training, uniforms and new procedures”.

On Türkiye, Dendias said that “Ankara’s divergence from its European perspective became evident at the beginning of the second decade of the 21st century.” He stressed that if Türkiye  “had accepted the International Law of the Sea, 90% of the problems would have been solved”. He noted that Türkiye is “expanding the agenda of claims against our country” and added: “We have to talk with Turkey. But this means that we always raise the unacceptable aspects of Turkish positions, such as the casus belli.”

Dendias, referring to the multidimensional strategy of the first Mitsotakis government, focused on bilateral agreements with countries such as France, the US and the United Arab Emirates. In addition, he said that Greece deepened relations with Israel and Bahrain. “We have formed,” he pointed out, “a complex strategic framework that goes beyond the Turkish-centric model of the past.”

The conference “Metapolitefsi 1974-2024: 50 Years of Greek Foreign Policy” is organized by the Council on International Relations, the Delphi Economic Forum and the newspaper “ To Vima”.