Greece says renewed defence deal with U.S. to protect sovereignty of both

Aides exchange folios as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias sign the renewal of the U.S.-Greece Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement at the State Department in Washington, U.S. October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

A renewed defence cooperation deal between the U.S. and Greece is designed to mutually safeguard and protect the sovereignty of each country, its Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said on Thursday.

"The revision of the mutual defence cooperation agreement we will sign in a few minutes is symbolically and substantially the foundation of our long-term partnership," Dendias said.

Dendias made the comments from Washington where he signed an agreement with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken which renews a defence cooperation deal between the two countries.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias shake hands after signing the renewal of the U.S.-Greece Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement at the State Department in Washington, U.S. October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou)

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias sign the renewal of the U.S.-Greece Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement at the State Department in Washington, U.S. October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Aides exchange folios as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias sign the renewal of the U.S.-Greece Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreement at the State Department in Washington, U.S. October 14, 2021. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

FILE PHOTO: A woman adjusts the U.S. flag at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens, Greece, October 5, 2019. REUTERS/Costas Baltas/Pool