Mitsotakis at NATO summit: Alliance members' relations must be defined by unity

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that relations among the member states of the NATO alliance must be characterized by unity and solidarity, while speaking at the NATO summit in London on Wednesday.

In this context, he said that alliance members have the responsibility to respect these notions and act upon them, and must also steer away from actions that could give rise to friction and tensions among allies and neighbors.

Commenting on statements about the Turkey-Libya maritime boundaries memorandum, he said that encouraging international agreements which blatantly violate international law and the legal rights of NATO's members run against the spirit of collaboration and the alliance's fundamental principles.

He noted how Greece expects its neighbors to show respect for its sovereign rights, and to abstain from actions and statements that endanger neighborly relations and regional security.

Greek Premier Mitsotakis also stressed that Greece recognizes the significance of adequate defense spending, a fact, he said, reflected in how Greece has maintained its 2 pct of GDP towards this spending, despite the financial crisis over the last the years.

Finally, government sources told Athens News Agency that the NATO leaders' joint statement referred, for the first time, to irregular migration as security challenge for the alliance.