The Minister of National Defense, Nikos Dendiasco-signed on the evening of Wednesday, 10 July 2024, a Letter of Intent (LoI), for the creation of a Harmonized Military Mobility Corridor, with the Ministers of Defence of Romania, Angel Tilvar and Bulgaria, Atanas Zaprianov. The signing took place on the sidelines NATO Summit in Washington, in the work in which Mr. Dendias participates, accompanying the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The letter
When signing the letter, the interest of the three countries in creating a military mobility corridor is highlighted, which, among other things, aims to promote cooperation between Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, within the framework of the joint NATO Administrative Care support network.
The Letter of Intent refers to road and rail corridors and the modernization of infrastructure and networks in areas such as Thessaloniki and Alexandroupoli.
This support is intended to continuous and timely deployment of allied military forces; with the simultaneous application of uniform regulations and procedures to facilitate cross-border military cooperation in movements.
The Letter of Intent also aims to coordinate the actions of the contracting states in the area of Military Mobility and to create a network of routes between the participants, harmonizing them in four areas:
1. Cross-border movement.
2. Coordination of the means of transport used.
3. Interoperability and information.
4. Infrastructure development.
The importance of military mobility is also highlighted in the Joint Declaration of the Prime Ministers of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, signed on 9 October 2023 in Euxinograd.
The creation of this Corridor also follows the signing of the Letter of Intent for the extension of the NATO Pipeline Network to the Eastern Wing of the Alliance, by the Defense Ministers of Greece, Bulgaria and Romania, in October 2023.
It also contributes to strengthen the deterrent capacity of the Alliance’s eastern flank and adds to a series of actions that improve the role of regions, such as Thrace, in maintaining stability and peace in the region.
Tripartite meeting in autumn
Following Mr. Dendias’ proposal, the three Defense Ministers will hold a tripartite meeting next autumn in Alexandroupoli, during which the best ways to implement and implement the provisions of the Letter of Intent will be discussed.
The Minister of National Defense also participated, in the early hours of today (7/11/2024), in Greece, in the dinner offered by the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, for the Defense Ministers of the member States of the North Atlantic Alliance, who are participating in the NATO Summit in Washington.
With my counterparts participating in your Summit #NATO in Washington, at the dinner hosted on Wednesday, 10/7/2024, by the US Secretary of Defense @SecDef Lloyd J. Austin III #USMilitary_Base_Fort_McNair pic.twitter.com/8GfOHim0w2
-Nikos Dendias (@NikosDendias) July 11, 2024