Two Greek F-16s took off and met an equal number of RAF Eurofighters south of Crete after first flying and refueling in the air southwest of Karpathos, coming from Cyprus. This is one of the many small-scale joint trainings conducted by the Greek Armed Forces with allied countries.
The important thing in this case is that both the axis in which the British fighters will be refueled and the area in which they will exercise together with the Greek ones, are to a significant extent inside the axis of the illegal Turkish-Libyan memorandum.
In this way, the two countries are sending another message to Ankara, which yesterday attacked Cyprus as well as the USA, for the defense cooperation that Nicosia signed with the National Guard of New Jersey, demonstrating in this way that its revisionist policy has not changed not in the least and that the reduction of aggressive rhetoric, at least towards Greece, has to do with a clear tactical move in order for the Erdogan government to meet the needs that arose internally after the devastating earthquakes.
At the same time, this move shows that the Declaration of "Common Vision" between Greece and the United Kingdom on February 7 is taking shape.
Let us recall that the relevant announcement of the Ministry of National Defense stated the following day:
"The Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, completed, yesterday, Tuesday, February 7, 2023, his official visit to the United Kingdom, where he met with his British counterpart, Mr. Ben Wallace (Ret. Hon. Ben Wallace).
After the official reception at the "Horse Guards Parade" the Minister of National Defense and his British counterpart went to Portsmouth, where on the destroyer "HMS DIAMOND", the talks between the two Ministers took place and the Declaration of "Joint Vision" was signed Statement) between Greece and the United Kingdom.
During the talks, it was underlined that the strong ties of the two countries are based on common principles and values, of freedom, democracy and the Rule of Law.
The importance of supporting Ukraine to counter the Russian invasion and the defense of the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity was also emphasized, while the developments in the Eastern Mediterranean were discussed, as well as their effects on the peace, security and stability of the region.
The Joint Vision Statement reaffirms the commitment of Greece and the United Kingdom to mutual support and assistance in order to face common challenges and achieve common goals in the field of security. as well as for deepening defense cooperation, with particular emphasis on operational training, exercises and the prospect of strengthening cooperation in the fields of defense industry and technology.
The two countries confirmed, as Strategic partners and as NATO Allies, their commitment to respect for the sovereignty, sovereign rights and territorial integrity of states.
Greece and the United Kingdom underlined their commitment to addressing threats to peace and security in the Mediterranean and to respecting International Law and in particular the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The United Kingdom acknowledged the support Greece provides to British forces through facilities in Souda Bay and Chania, while the strategic importance of the port of Alexandroupolis for Europe and NATO was highlighted.
Greece and the United Kingdom have agreed to draw up an annual "Road Map" that will include the priorities of defense cooperation, and an annual Security and Defense Dialogue is being established to review progress and explore new initiatives to further develop bilateral cooperation in defense and security sector".
