Greece and Israel to Broaden Defense Ties

Following a meeting on Monday between the Greek and Israeli ministers of defense, Nikos Dendias and Yoav Gallant, both countries are expected to deepen their levels of cooperation on defense and security.

After discussions, both ministers took to X (formally Twitter) to reveal that their conversation had been fruitful and Greece and Israel were keen to expand the breadth and depth of collaborative efforts on important defense issues.

Dendias and Gallant discussed a range of topics, including military cooperation, joint exercises, defense research and development, and the geopolitical landscape in the wider region shared by Greece and Israel.

In today's meeting with the Israeli Minister of Defence, Mr. @yoavgallant, we discussed the important achievements of our Strategic Defence Relationship and expressed our wish to further broaden it.

We highlighted the excellent level of cooperation between our countries'… pic.twitter.com/LbIjHem7G4

— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) August 7, 2023

Defense ministers from Greece and Israel keen to expand cooperation

“In today’s meeting with the Israeli Minister of Defence, [Yoav Gallant], we discussed the important achievements of our Strategic Defence Relationship and expressed our wish to further broaden it,” said Mr. Dendias on X.

“We highlighted the excellent level of cooperation between our countries’ Armed Forces, which includes multiple joint exercises,” the Greek Defense Minister continued.

Gallant expressed similarly positive sentiments after the meeting with his Greek counterpart. “It was a pleasure to host my friend and counterpart, the Greek Minister of National Defense [Nikos Dendias],” he commented on X.

“I emphasized the importance of our long-standing strategic ties and expressed my commitment to further expanding defense cooperation between our establishments,” Gallant added.

It was a pleasure to host my friend and counterpart, the Greek Minister of National Defense @NikosDendias.

I emphasized the importance of our long-standing strategic ties and expressed my commitment to further expanding defense cooperation between our establishments. pic.twitter.com/Nj5EevZJoe

— יואב גלנט – Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) August 7, 2023

Details

As is often the case with matters of national security, the exact details of the meeting were relatively vague, and it remains to be seen how Greece and Israel will actually broaden their defense ties. Nevertheless, Dendias did provide an overview of the areas the two countries will be expecting to work on together in the future.

The Greek Defense Minister was keen to highlight the “excellent level of cooperation” that already exists between the Greek and Israeli militaries and stressed the importance of joint military exercises.

For example, earlier in March of this year, air and naval forces from Greece and Israel alongside other nations such as the US and Cyprus conducted a large military drill in the eastern Mediterranean, dubbed  “Noble Dina 2023.” The exercise, which is held annually, focuses on training the participating forces in complex operational scenarios in a multi-threat environment, with an emphasis on anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, and search and rescue operations. It also aims to increase interoperability and strengthen the forces’ deterrence capability.

Furthermore, Dendias explained that the representatives of Greece and Israel “agreed to enhance our mutually beneficial cooperation in the area of defense research and technology with the involvement of the defense industry, research institutions, and other innovation bodies.”

Cooperation between both countries in terms of military research and development as well as procurement is already extensive. For instance, Israel supplies missiles and UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) to the Greek military. Notably, in May of this year, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) made an agreement to purchase Intracom Defense (IDE), a Greek technology defense company.

Dendias concluded his statement on social media by emphasizing the positive role Greek and Israeli cooperation would have in attaining “security, stability, and prosperity” in the region. The pair also discussed the ongoing war in Ukraine with the Greek Defense Minister, stressing Greece’s position that “aggressive revisionism is unacceptable.”