Further strengthening of defense cooperation between Greece and Israel was confirmed on the sidelines of today’s meeting between Greek Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias and his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, at the Pentagon (Greek Ministry of Defense).
Mr. Katz was received at the ministry at 10:30 a.m., followed by a one-on-one meeting between the two ministers as well as talks between the Greek and Israeli delegations.
After the meeting, Mr. Dendias said in a post on the social media platform X:
“As part of his official visit to Athens, I had the great pleasure today of welcoming the Minister of Defense of the State of Israel, Israel Katz, to the Ministry of National Defense, where we discussed the strategic defense relations between our two countries and the prospects for their further deepening.”
The two sides agreed to enhance cooperation in the critical area of cybersecurity as well. As Reuters notes, the defense partnership between the two countries is based on strong diplomatic ties and has already borne fruit through the joint air training center in Greece and frequent military exercises.
“We agreed to exchange views and expertise so that we can address unmanned platforms, and in particular swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles and groups of unmanned underwater vehicles. We will work together to anticipate threats and be ready to counter them, including in cyberspace,” the Greek defense minister said in statements following the meeting with his Israeli counterpart.
Mr. Dendias also referred to another equally important pillar of cooperation, the “3+1” framework involving Greece, Cyprus and Israel with the participation of the United States, sending a clear message in all directions.
“We operate as an axis in the Eastern Mediterranean. As you know, much is at stake in our region—from destabilizing practices, from challenges to international law, and from challenges to the law of the sea,” the Greek minister noted, reiterating Athens’ long-standing position that “Greece defends its sovereign rights without threatening anyone and without claiming anything.”
Katz’s message to Turkey – “We will not allow destabilization”
For his part, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued an indirect but clear warning to Turkey, stating that Israel and Greece are determined not to allow “actors seeking to undermine regional stability to establish a presence through terrorism, aggression, or military proxies—whether in Syria, Gaza, the Aegean Sea, or any other arena.”
In joint statements with his Greek counterpart, Katz said the two countries will not allow the realization of “dangerous ambitions” on key geopolitical fronts.
The Israeli defense minister went on with even sharper language, noting that “those who dream of dragging the region backward, imposing control through terror, or reviving empires at the expense of sovereign states will be confronted by a determined alliance of free and strong nations, capable of defending themselves.”