CAMBERRA – The unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine and its repercussions on a regional and international level, as well as the coordinated reactions of NATO and international organisations and the possibility of further enhancing bilateral cooperation between Greece and Australia in several fields, were discussed at Deputy Defence Minister Nikos Hardalias’ meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of Australia Richard Marles at the parliament in Canberra, a ministry annoucement said.

In parallel, Hardalias briefed Marles on the ongoing Turkish provocative behaviour and its rhetoric questioning Greece’s sovereign rights in the sea and in the air, which has been translated in the field into a record number of overflights, violations and infringements of Greek airspace and of Greece’s territorial waters.

He reiterated that in the face of this unstable situation, Greece is promoting defence diplomacy and fruitful regional cooperation based on international law and the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), while it has assumed specific initiatives for the promotion of stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean and in the wider region.

Hardalias and Marles reaffirmed the strong and longstanding friendship between the two countries, which is based on historic and cultural ties, as well as the Greek diaspora and the common struggles through the years for peace, freedom and democracy.