Panagiotopoulos, Esper agree on need for all parties to abide by international norms

Defence Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos and United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, in an exchange over the telephone on Tuesday, stressed the need for international rules to be observed and for all parties to act with restraint in the Eastern Mediterranean.

According to a statement, "regarding the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa, the two leaders agreed on the need for all parties to abide by international norms and maintain restraint."

During the phone conversation, the strong defence relationship between the United States and Greece was reaffirmed, while the American minister thanked Panagiotopoulos for hosting U.S. forces at Souda Bay, and for the strong bilateral cooperation between Greece and the US.

"This is marked, most recently, by the updating of the U.S.-Greece Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement last October, which enables opportunities to further deepen U.S.-Greek defense cooperation and advance regional security and stability," according to a U.S. press release.

The leaders also discussed mutual security concerns in southeast Europe and across NATO’s Southern Flank, including Russian malign influence and growing concerns from China.

Secretary Esper recognised Greece for exceeding NATO defence spending goals, noting that this was a vital investment into strengthening the Greek-US alliance.