Evangelos Apostolakis

Greece will consider the possibility of acquiring the US-made F-35 fighter jets as part of its efforts to upgrade its Air Force fleet, Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis said on Friday, following remarks by a US official on expanding the sales of the aircraft.

In a warning seen to be directed against Greece and Cyprus, Turkey's Defense Minister Hulusi Akar reiterated on Saturday that Ankara will not be excluded from any decision regarding the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.

On the occasion of the 198th anniversary of the beginning of the War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire, the Minister of Defense, retired Adm. Evangelos Apostolakis has called for "unity, concord and consensus" to face difficulties and move forward.

Hours after Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar reportedly claimed that the Aegean Sea and Cyprus lie within Turkey's territorial waters, his Greek counterpart Evangelos Apostolakis urged Ankara officials to refrain from unreasonable statements that fuel bilateral tension.

An under-sea photo showing two Turkish frogmen posing with a Turkish flag in a sea area north of the Greek island of Crete was taken down from the Twitter account of the NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) on Wednesday after protests lodged by the Hellenic Navy at the prompting of Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis.

In the wake of recent incendiary rhetoric emanating from Ankara, in particular from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Athens insisted on Tuesday that it is determined to de-escalate tensions and pursue good-neighborly relations.

These intentions were articulated in remarks by Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos and Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis.

A military inquiry into the arrest by Turkish authorities last year of two Greek soldiers on border patrol in northeastern Greece has been "sent to the archive," Defense Minsister Evangelos Apostolakis said on Friday in response to a question from the opposition.

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen stands in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a wreath-laying ceremony in central Athens before talks with her Greek counterpart Evangelos Apostolakis. Tuesday's talks centered on ongoing security challenges and defense cooperation on bilateral and NATO level.

Greece is making a concerted effort to react calmly to "dangerous incidents" in the Aegean, where Turkish violations "are reaching very high levels," Defense Minister Evangelos Apostolakis told a Parliamentary committee on on Monday.

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen is due Tuesday in Athens, where she will meet with her recently appointed Greek counterpart, Evangelos Apostolakis.

She will also meet with opposition New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis and address an event at the Constantinos Karamanlis Institute for Democracy.