The Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias participates in 4 th “East Macedonia & Thrace Forum” and meets the Permanent Representative of the USA to NATO, Ambassador[...]

The Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias participates in 4 th "East Macedonia & Thrace Forum" and meets the Permanent Representative of the USA to NATO, Ambassador Matthew G. Whitaker

March 19, 2026

On Thursday 19 March 2026, the Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias participated in the first workday of the 4 th "East Macedonia & Thrace Forum" in Alexandroupolis, where he discussed with the Permanent Representative of the USA to NATO, Ambassador Matthew G. Whitaker, about the role of South-eastern Europe
and the future of NATO in the critical contemporary situation of international security.

The foreword of the discussion was made by the President of the Delphi Economic Forum, Symeon Tsomokos, while it was coordinated by journalist Manos Karatarakis. The discussion was attended by the Chief/HNDGS General Dimitrios Choupis.

The questions posed to the Minister of National Defence, as well as the answers the latter provided follow:

MANOS KARATARAKIS:
The Greek "Patriot Battery", which is part of the Greek Force in Saudi Arabia, constitutes an active military mission, which began in September 2021 and has been extended until November 2026. So, today, for the first time, that battery operated, making its first confirmed interception in combat conditions against Iranian ballistic missiles. Hence, I would like to ask the Minister what the significance of that occurrence is for the Hellenic Armed Forces.

NIKOS DENDIAS:
Firstly, the Government of Saudi Arabia called us. So, the Kingdom called us and that signature was given. What we are doing in the Kingdom is to protect each EU citizen and each inhabitant of the world, as oil prices are instrumental for our survival. We all comprehend what the outcome will be for the whole world if oil refineries and natural gas production facilities are destroyed. We will return to primitive times.

Now - because crises affect everyone, for example the citizens of Alexandroupolis when they visit the super market or the gas station to fill up their car's tank - we protect a country within the framework of an Agreement, as well as the life quality level of every Greek and European citizen.

Finally, but equally important is the fact that the effectiveness of our Armed Forces is proven in action. I am very proud of the Hellenic Armed Forces and I need to express that. Naturally, I am not happy; we cannot claim that we are happy during wartime, but I am, nonetheless, very proud.

MANOS KARATARAKIS:
Last year you had the opportunity to observe exercise "Fortuitous Omen", which was carried out by the Hellenic Armed Forces. Do you believe that drones are the development of the future? Also, which equipment types can we develop in order to ensure our country's independence?

NIKOS DENDIAS:
I will pick up where the Ambassador left off. Initially, I would like to thank him for his kind words for Greece, but also for his personal role in NATO, where he leads the Permanent Representation of the USA to NATO and the new age for the Alliance overall.

Why am I mentioning NATO's role? Let's be honest. We live in times of revolution. Everything needs to change if we want to protect ourselves. If we want to maintain our societies safe we need to change everything and the Ambassador knows that better than anybody in the room. Modern military equipment is not related to that used in the past. Big tanks or armies large in numbers are a recipe for disaster.

A few days ago, I was in London and had the opportunity to meet a General, Mr. Zaluzhnyi. Perhaps you don't know him. He is a Ukrainian General who led the Ukrainian Armed Forces for three years. We had a long discussion. By the way, I am a lawyer and I cannot pretend I can lead an army, however the discussion was rather impressive.

He showed me that a modern army can be used to stop a much larger one. However, for that to happen, innovative solutions - not just drones - as well as a holistic approach, on the basis of which five different levels exist, need to be used. Those are the sea, land forces, air, and of course the internet. All those have to be included and without that holistic approach, success is unachievable.

So, in order for one to defend their country or Europe or the modern democratic world and in order to defend NATO's space, one has to do exactly that. We need to modernise ourselves, to change our way of thinking. This is what we need to do.

The exercise that you mentioned took place 100 kilometres from here and we would really like if the Ambassador could attend such an exercise. So, that exercise shows
how a private company can produce systems that can be utilised by the army as modern circumstances dictate. Meaning, not only to have great military equipment in
terms of numbers, but also to possess military competence, as well as the ability to change all platforms while on the battlefield. To change the software, solutions, the
manner with which they interoperate.

So, we are trying to adopt new approaches. "Achilles Shield" is the term that we usebecause the five levels I mentioned before exist there. To conclude, this is what we
need, to modernise ourselves constantly, because otherwise we cannot be safe.

If we don't do that, others will. And that will turn out to be difficult for us.

MANOS KARATARAKIS:
In other words, we aim at modernisation by predicting the moves of the enemy, namely we prepare for the kinds of threats we might face. Today that might be drones, but tomorrow it might be something else. So, we must be able to think of what threats we might have to face in the future.

NIKOS DENDIAS:
I will mention an example that the Ambassador made before, regarding the defence we use, whether that is an anti-drone system, anti-missile defence etc. The Iranian missiles intercepted by the Greek "Patriots" in Saudi Arabia were travelling at a speed three times faster than other missiles.

So, you can imagine that we are talking about speeds of 4,000 kilometres per hour! In the future, we might need to face even faster missiles travelling at a speed of7,000 kilometres per hour. So, we thought that in the beginning of the 21 st century, democracy and free economy are a given.

None of those is a given. Not even freedom. We have to fight for freedom. We have to protect it. We have to be organised in order to protect our democracy and the regions where there are human rights, as something that can be accepted as a common denominator. That cannot be taken for granted.

MANOS KARATARAKIS:
I am moving back to the vertical gas corridor. In my next question, I would like to ask the Minister regarding our allies, Romania and Bulgaria. Recently, Bulgaria asked for
our contribution in protecting its air space. We do not know if we will receive a similar call from Romania. You had the opportunity to talk to those allies about the Greek "Agenda 2030" programme and how Greece will become an active participant in those military operations and equipment, while at the same time upgrading its F-16 aircraft to Viper status. Do you foresee Greece becoming an "exporter of military technology" for our allies and not just a protector of the already existing systems (such as the Patriots protecting Bulgaria at the moment and the F-16, which exist in Northern Greece), also are there other additional systems?

NIKOS DENDIAS:
Thank you very much for that question. It is time for us to essentially galvanise the money that we spend on our defence. All money spent on defence creates security.
That is a "Number one" priority for the population of our country. However, if done right, that could also lead to development. It could create new jobs, innovation, and dual-use technologies.

So, technologies that can also be used in civilian life cannot be doubted. The bitter truth is that wars are the periods during which new innovative technological solutions
are found. For example, jet engines were created during World War II. Consequently, for us in Greece, where we have spent hundreds of millions for defence, that is something that has not been taken advantage of until now.

What the present Government is trying to achieve through the Hellenic Centre for Defence Innovation is to create an establishment, which will turn the need for the creation of innovative solutions for Defence into development and work solutions for our financial life. That is exportable, not in the old sense of exports, but in the framework of cooperation with other markets through the sharing of ideas, aiming at finding the required capital, since, of course, the costs are significantly high and can be used to provide solutions to other partners, such as Bulgaria.

One example is the "Centaur", the anti-drone system of which we are really proud. It is something that can be passed on to others. In addition, some other countries might improve it even further. This is what we are trying to do.

Also, allow me to make a quick comment on what the Ambassador said. I am grateful and understand that he realises the crucial role Alexandroupolis plays in this.

Alexandroupolis entered NATO's map when, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, I signed the relevant Agreement with the United States. Back then, all that sounded a little
strange. In 2015, if a Minister of National Defence mentioned Alexandroupolis to his counterparts in NATO, no one would know about it, whereas now everybody knows
where it is.

This is not due to us improving our geographic knowledge, but because Alexandroupolis plays a very significant role in a series of events. The Bosporus Strait, due to its geography, also plays a crucial role. What Greece can do is build the vertical corridor in cooperation with the USA, in order to supply energy to numerous countries along its length.

During World War I, Winston Churchill tried to solve that exact problem. Back then, Russia was an ally, while the Ottoman Empire and the Central Powers were the enemy. Winston Churchill wanted to resupply Russia but could not achieve it. So, he had to reorganise several operations. If Alexandroupolis and the Vertical Corridor were an option back then, World War I would have had a much different outcome and, perhaps, the repercussions of 1918 would have been different.

Perhaps you remember the operations carried out in 1915. However, the Mayor of Alexandroupolis is with us, who could tell us more about the role of his city.

MANOS KARATARAKIS:
Mr. Minister, the Prime Minister was in Brussels today and spoke about the crisis and the South-eastern Mediterranean and one of the issues that need to be tackled has to do with immigration. How do you intend to address the issue? Do you believe that it might be instrumentalised by our neighbours?

NIKOS DENDIAS:
I think that the issue of illegal immigration is something I faced in 2012-2013, when we managed our borders successfully. That was repeated in 2020 if you remember, when we also had the issue of European borders.

However, now I am convinced that we Greeks, we Europeans, and we NATO members, can handle this issue in a humanitarian manner. Don't misunderstand me, we cannot allow "traffickers" to do what they had caused. What happens right now in the world is that big "trafficking" networks exploit people's poverty. It had turned into a large industry and we cannot allow that to keep happening. We must protect our borders. It is a constitutional right and the Government will pay any cost to achieve it".

In the framework of the 4 th East Macedonia & Thrace Forum, Mr. Dendias had a one- on-one meeting with the Permanent Representative of the USA, Ambassador
Matthew Whitaker, during which the two men discussed the strategic defence relations between Greece and the USA, both within NATO, as well as on a bilateral level. In addition, they exchanged opinions on the confrontation of modern security threats.

After the meeting, the Minister of National Defence made the following statement:

"Firstly, I would like to express my sincere joy that the Permanent Representative of the USA to NATO, Ambassador Matthew G. Whitaker, is here with us today. It is a great opportunity for us to exchange opinions on the situation, but also discuss the issue of Greek participation in NATO, namely what our role is in the Alliance and what the role of the Alliance can be regarding the stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Other than that, however, as you know, it is a really significant day, because the Greek "Patriot Battery", which protects the "Aramco" facilities in Saudi Arabia, intercepted ballistic missiles.

In my opinion - I said it before and I am saying it again - this is how the quality of life of the European and Greek people is protected. The continuous increase in oil prices, which will continue if oilrigs and refineries or natural gas facilities keep on being destroyed, affects the daily life of European and Greek citizens, as well as that of each inhabitant of the world.

Concluding, I would like to say that it is a great pleasure for me to be here in Alexandroupolis once again. You know I am an honorary citizen of this city. It is the only city in which I am an honorary citizen and, as you know, the agreement that put Alexandroupolis in the geopolitical map is MDCA, our Agreement with the United States, which bears my signature".

Thank you very much".