An emergency meeting was convened by Defense Minister Nikos Dendias in the Hall of the Council of Chiefs of General Staff (SAGE), to assess the evolving situation arising from the Middle East crisis and to develop a defense plan focused on the country’s anti-ballistic missile protection.

Present at the meeting were Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff Dimitrios Choupis and the heads of the military branches, except for Army Chief Georgios Kostidis, who was represented by Deputy Chief Andreas Koronakis due to the former’s absence.

Preparation is deemed essential to ensure the country is ready to repel any threat that may arise under the current conditions.

Earlier, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, speaking at a Financial Times conference, made clear that Greece will not participate in any military operation. He stressed:

“In the history of the Middle East, there have been many ‘fantasies’ that problems can be solved through military operations — and that has not gone well.”

In his remarks on the Middle East conflict, Mr. Mitsotakis stated:

• “We are concerned about the prospect of escalation. We insist that Iran must not acquire nuclear weapons, and that any resolution must come through diplomatic means.
• The EU lacks real leverage — only the United States can exert such pressure, and President Trump will have to decide.
• We hope there will be no escalation that leads to negative economic consequences, such as rising inflation or disruption of energy markets.”