NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte met Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens on Tuesday (26 November 2024) to discuss security challenges, support to Ukraine, and Greece's "crucial role" in supporting NATO's collective defence.
Mr Rutte welcomed the fact that Greece invests 3 percent of its GDP in defence saying it had "long made security a priority". He also commended the country for its "highly skilled military and increasingly advanced capabilities" and its efforts to modernise them further.
The Secretary General thanked Greece for its support for Ukraine's fight against Russia aggression. Just last month, Athens signed a bilateral security agreement with Kyiv and announced it will accelerate F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots and technicians "strengthening their hand in this brutal war". "Our support for Ukraine has kept them in the fight, but we need to go further to change the trajectory of this conflict," the Secretary General added.
Mr Rutte underlined that Russia's use of North Korean weapons and troops, Iranian drones and Chinese dual-use goods contributed to an "increasingly dangerous" security environment and represented a "challenge to global peace and security".
During his visit to Athens the Secretary General also met the Greek Minister of National Defence Nikolaos Dendias and Minister of Foreign Affairs George Gerapetritis.
