In Lisavona Nikos Dendias and Niko Dendias and Nuno Melo met in Lisavona to expand the military and industrial partnership between the two countries.
The “further deepening” of the bilateral defence cooperation agreement, with an emphasis on developing synergies in defence innovation and industry, particularly in research and development of unmanned amphibious systems, was the focus of a meeting between Minister National Defence Minister, Nikos Dendias, with his Portuguese counterpart, Nuno Melo, at the Forte de S. Julião da Barra in Lisbon.
Dendias referred to “the open nature of the discussions”, which he said “reflect the exceptional relations between Portugal and Greece. “We confirmed once again,” he said, “these very strong relations and of course we had the opportunity to discuss the possibility of even closer cooperation on many issues.”
“The production in Portugal and the supply from Greece of Embraer C-390 transport aircraft is one of them.” he elaborated and continued: “It’s not just that. It’s the unmanned surface ships, the unmanned underwater vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles, innovation, modern technologies and negotiations on the security mechanism. It’s something we’ve discussed at length and I’m glad we understand that we can easily find common ground and do a lot of things together.”
Also, views were exchanged on cooperation and coordination between the Greek and Portuguese Ministries of National Defence in the framework of the EU and NATO. Dendias also referred to Portugal’s “proud maritime tradition”. “You have been one of the most important empires in the history of mankind. Your maritime tradition is immense,” he underlined. “Therefore, we can benefit from this relationship, from the discussions, from the way young people see the future, both in the maritime sector and in the land and air sectors. We could face modern challenges together, as friendly countries, as countries with a maritime tradition, as partners in the European Union, as allies in NATO. We are together at all these different levels and I am very happy to be here with you,” he added.
Dendias did not fail to express his desire to meet his Portuguese counterpart in Athens. After the meeting, the Greek Minister visited the premises of the 506th Aircraft Squadron. Tomorrow, Friday, Mr Dendias will visit the Operational Centre for Unmanned Vehicles (CEOV) at the Lisbon Naval Base and the headquarters of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).
