US, Greek militaries to boost bilateral ties

The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joseph F. Dunford, expressed Washington's desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Greece and to further upgrade the American base at Souda Bay on Crete during his meeting Thursday in the US capital with the Chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff, Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis.

Describing Greece's armed forces as an important partner for the US military, Dunford discussed ways of increasing joint training between the army, navy and air forces of both countries, the expansion of activities of the NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational training Center (NMIOTC) at Souda, as well as enhancing the exchange of intelligence.

For his part, Apostolakis outlined the initiatives taken by Greece's armed forces to promote military cooperation in the Balkans, North Africa and the Middle East, and also raised the...