Greece will never renounce its sovereignty or sovereign rights under any circumstances, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said on Thursday, citing international law, the law of the sea, and existing agreements with the EU and Egypt.
“It is neither nationally possible nor constitutionally permissible for the country to relinquish by renunciation its sovereignty and sovereign rights, international law and the international law of the sea, the European acquis and the Greek-Egyptian agreement and everything that these confer upon it,” Dendias said during a speech marking the 80th anniversary of the German surrender on the island of Symi.
Speaking at an event commemorating the end of World War Two on European soil, Dendias said: “It is a great honour to be here in Symi on the 80th anniversary of its liberation. On May 8, 1945, the German forces signed their unconditional surrender here, marking the final act of World War Two in Europe.”
The minister said the Aegean Sea has historically tested Greece’s national resolve and now serves as the focal point of the country’s defence overhaul, known as the 2030 Agenda.
At the core of this reform is a new doctrine of deterrence, Dendias said, based on modern capabilities and the region’s geography. Its centrepiece is “Achilles’ Shield”—a comprehensive plan aimed at defending the territory and enhancing Greece’s deterrent power.
While acknowledging geopolitical and military realities, Dendias warned that no foreign power should expect Greece to retreat from its sovereign claims. “Greece and the Greeks, throughout history, do whatever is needed. Or, as the Anglo-Saxons put it: ‘whatever it takes’,” he said.
