NATO Secretary General discussed current security challenges with Greek Prime Minister

  • 06 Sep. 2018 - 07 Sep. 2018
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  • Last updated: 07 Sep. 2018 07:28

Visiting Athens on Thursday (6 September 2018), NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to discuss current security challenges and the implementation of decisions taken at the NATO Summit in July.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Alexis Tsipras.

The Secretary General thanked Greece for its participation in NATO operations and its role at the forefront of the refugee and migrant crisis. He underlined that NATO’s presence in the Aegean helps counter illegal human trafficking into Greece by providing real-time information to coastguards.

Mr. Stoltenberg also commended Greece for investing 2% of GDP in defence, and congratulated Prime Minister Tsipras on the official termination of the bail-out programme, as a historic moment after years of austerity.

The Secretary General and Prime Minister Tsipras also discussed the historic breakthrough on the name issue with Skopje. Mr. Stoltenberg stressed that this is a great achievement for both countries, adding that the upcoming referendum in Skopje is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.