Evangelos Apostolakis

The significant role played by the Greek diaspora in the US was highlighted on Monday during a meeting in Athens between Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis and American Hellenic Institute (AHI) President Nick Larigakis.

The meeting between the two officials, who also discussed regional security and Turkey's recent behavior, comes at a time of deepening Greek-US ties.

Greece's Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis met with US Ambassador to Greece Geoffrey Pyatt on Thursday to discuss security in the Eastern Mediterranean and other issues of bilateral interest.

This is the second meeting between the two officials this week, after Apostolakis met with the ambassador and visiting US Senator Robert Menendez on Monday. 

Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar claimed on Saturday that Greece is violating international law by "arming" islands in the Aegean and called on his Greek counterpart to demilitarize them, according to statements given to state-run news agency Anadolu earlier in the day.

Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis says he is concerned with Turkey's purchase of Russian-built S-400 air defence system .

Greece's cooperation with its NATO allies and with the United States in particular is at an "excellent level," Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis said on Tuesday during a visit to an air base in Larissa, central Greece.

Greece's Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis on Wednesday hailed the introduction in the US Senate of bipartisan legislation to reshape the country's strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean, describing it as "a step in the right direction."

Defence Minister Evangelos Apostolakis, the former Chairman of Greece's Joint Chiefs of Staff, has welcomed the Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act of 2019 as a move that confirms and upgrades Greece's strategic role in the broader region.

The leader of the nationalist Independent Greeks (ANEL) party, Panos Kammenos, whipped up a storm of sorts on Tuesday, hinting that his successor at the Defense Ministry, Evangelos Apostolakis, was being sidelined by his alternate minister, Panagiotis Rigas, and the chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff (GES), Giorgos Kambas.

The Chairman of Greece's Joint Chiefs of Staff, Air Force General Christos Christodoulou, warned about the prospect of a Greek-Turkish military accident in the Aegean and urged resolve and prudence in dealing with Ankara's claims.

The acquisition by Greece of US-made F-35 fighter jets will hinge on the country's fiscal plans and Washington's ability to offer a long-term payment framework, reliable sources said Friday.