Evangelos Apostolakis

Hellenic Armed Forces General Staff (GEETHA) Chief Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis called for the release of the two Greek servicemen who are being held in a Turkish prison since early March, during a meeting with Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar, on the sidelines of a NATO Military Committee meeting in Brussels on Wednesday.

Britain's Charles, Prince of Wales, Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos and Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff Evangelos Apostolakis look at the Red Arrows RAF aerobatics display team in Athens, on Thursday. [Reuters]

Amid heightened tension in the Aegean, senior United States armed forces officials are expected to visit Greece in the coming days, in a move which analysts say highlights the country's growing geostrategic significance in the eyes of Washington policymakers.

Turkey's stance regarding the fate of the two Greek soldiers who were arrested last week after straying into Turkey and a war of words that erupted with President Prokopis Pavlopoulos is seen in Greece as indicative of Ankara's intention to raise the stakes with Athens.

The chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA), Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, received US Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt in his Athens office on Wednesday.

Their meeting focused on developments in the broader region, as well as on the continued detention of two Greek soldiers by Turkish authorities and Greek-American ties, according to an official announcement,

Greek armed forces tackle Turkish provocations prudently while offering this country a reliable prevention force, the chief of the Hellenic Armed Forces General Staff, Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis told the Delphi Economic Forum on Thursday.

The leader of the Israeli Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot (left), is seen during an official visit to the Defense Ministry near Athens on Wednesday where he met with the chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA), Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis (right).

Israel's Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Gadi Eisenkot has visited Greece for an official meeting with the chief of the Hellenic National Defense General Staff (GEETHA), Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis.

The “Parmenion” annual national defence exercise wrapped up on Thursday in eastern Rhodes in the presence of Defence Minister Panos Kammenos, Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, the chiefs of all branches of the Greek defence forces, and regional administration staff.

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.