We meet here in Ankara today at a time of profound geopolitical uncertainty, and today’s discussion is going to take place in the backdrop of a discussion regarding burden sharing at NATO, which goes back many years. It was President Trump during his first term who, in his own way, confronted European allies about the necessity to rebalance NATO in favor of a more European burden-sharing approach. And this is something which indeed has taken place over the past years.
And I’ve always been a strong advocate of the concept of European strategic autonomy, not as a competitor to NATO, but as a strong European pillar that could strengthen the alliance across the board.
In The Hague last year, we took important decisions regarding the milestones that we will set regarding defense spending. And I’m happy to report that my country, Greece, is already, as of this year, meeting the 3.5% defense target way ahead of schedule. We are currently implementing a €25 billion modernization program for our Armed Forces.
My country is in a very delicate neighborhood facing geopolitical challenges. We have always kept our commitment to NATO spending even in times of deep austerity, and we’re now one of the five countries leading NATO when it comes to defense spending.
Finally, when it comes to the regional situation, let me express my hope and optimism that the truce between Iran and the United States will hold. It is critical to give diplomacy time to resolve this thorny issue. And at a time when the cost of living is the number one priority for all European governments, we, of course, all hope that we will not have a new increase in tensions that will lead into a further increase in the price of oil.
Journalist:…influence of Turkey within NATO and the fact that now the US President looks like he will allow F-35s to be bought by Turkey. Does that upset the balance within the Eastern Mediterranean?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Well, I’m not going to comment on the statements made yesterday by President Trump and President Erdoğan. All I can say is that an Alliance needs to be based on the fundamental principle of good neighborly relations.
And at a time when my country is still faced with an open threat of war by Turkey, should we exercise our legal right to expand our territorial waters, I think we need to be cognizant of the fact that the sensitivities of all NATO Allies need to be taken into consideration.
After all, we are a defensive Alliance, and I’m sure that these outstanding issues can be resolved in the spirit of good neighborly relations and in the spirit of cooperation.
Journalist: (Inaudible)
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: I can’t hear you. Sorry. What I can tell you, it’s always a pleasure to visit Ankara. And I’ve always been a big proponent of improving the relations between our two countries.
Thank you.
