“Defence cooperation between the United States and Greece has a strategic and essential character”, Defence Dimitris Avramopoulos said after his meeting with his American counterpart Chuck Hagel.

“Along with my American counterpart, we had the opportunity to reconfirm the excellent level of the Greek-American defence cooperation. Today, we proceeded to the finalisation of critical issues referring to the road map of the American defence cooperation with our country, giving solutions to outstanding issues,” Mr. Avramopoulos underlined after the meeting.

The Greek Defence Minister said that they discussed “the burning geopolitical issues of our region, the geostrategic role of Greece as an country of stability and security in the wider region, as well as the role that Greece can undertake in the name of the international law”.

Both top officials agreed that “today, more than ever, the defence cooperation between the United States and Greece has a strategic and substantial character,” adding that they will have the opportunity to discuss again these issues, on a multilateral level, within the framework of NATO meeting in Wales in early September.

“Greece is gradually exiting from the crisis, becoming again a major pillar of stability in a region that has passed the threshold of the most crucial phase of its modern history,” Mr. Avramopoulos said.

“The Greek government is giving a daily struggle to overcome the crisis so that a promising horizon opens for the Greek people and the country,” he concluded.