Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias met with British Armed Forces Minister James Heappey in London on Monday.
During their working breakfast at the residence of the Greek ambassador, the two discussed strategies to address shared challenges, including the situations in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the Red Sea, as stated by Dendias in a post on X social media platform.
Dendias provided Heappey with an update on Greece’s participation in the EU naval mission Aspides, aimed at safeguarding commercial traffic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden from ongoing Houthi attacks.
“I stressed that Greece, the country with the biggest merchant fleet, will protect free shipping and ensure the safety of seamen, in cooperation with its allies and partners,” he said.
Furthermore, within the context of bolstering defense cooperation between Greece and the UK, Dendias briefed Heappey on the establishment of Greece’s innovation ecosystem within the Hellenic Armed Forces, extending an invitation for the UK to participate. Additionally, the two discussed the potential provision of minehunters by the United Kingdom to Greece, Dendias added.
I met today in London with the Minister of State for the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom @JSHeappeywith whom we had a working breakfast at the 🇬🇷 Αmbassador’s residence. Within the framework of further strengthening our defence relations, we discussed ways to deal with… pic.twitter.com/Ncvb5JYetN
— Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) February 12, 2024