Defence Minister Nikos Dendias at the launching ceremony of frigate “Kimon” at the installations of Naval Group in Lorient-France, and bilateral meeting with his counterpart[...]

Defence Minister Nikos Dendias at the launching ceremony of frigate "Kimon" at the installations of Naval Group in Lorient-France, and bilateral meeting with his counterpart Sébastien Lecornu

October 4, 2023

On Wednesday 04 October 2023, the Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias attended the launching ceremony of the frigate "Kimon", at Naval Group's facilities, in Lorient, France. Mr. Dendias was welcomed by the French Minister of Defence, Sébastien Lecornu, in Lann-Bihoué Air Base. Next, Mr. Dendias visited Naval Group's facilities, where he was welcomed by the Chief/HNGS Vice Admiral Ioannis Drymousis HN, the Naval Group's CEO Pier-Eric Pommellet and the local authorities. The Minister of National Defence first inspected the shipbuilding operations of frigate "Nearchos" and afterwards he attended the launching ceremony of frigate FDI HN1 "KIMON". The ceremony was also attended on the Greek side by the Secretary General of the Ministry of National Defence Mr. Antonis Oikonomou, the Counsellor
of the Prime Minister's National Security Mr. Thanos Dokos, the General Director of the General Dte of Defence Investments & Armaments Vice Admiral (ENG) (ret.) Aristeidis Alexopoulos HN, the Greek Ambassador in France Mr. Dimitrios Zevelakis, the Commander of the Navy Detachment in Lorient, Commodore Theoharis Hatzopoulos HN and others.
Mr. Dendias pointed out in his address:
"Minister, Dear Sébastien,
Mister President and CEO of NAVAL GROUP, mister Pommellet,
Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is a great honour and pleasure to be today in Lorient, at the facilities of NAVAL GROUP, on the occasion of the launching of frigate "Kimon" for the Hellenic Navy.

Ladies and gentlemen, I will not hide from you that today I am moved more than ever. It is for me a flagship event for Greece; an important milestone of the strategic partnership relation for the cooperation in defence and security between the Hellenic and the French Republic. But I would also like to say that the acquirement of frigate "Kimon" is a great source of pride for the members of the Hellenic Navy, the Armed Forces of our homeland, for all Greek women and men. "Kimon" continues Greece's tradition being a naval force for 2,500 years, from antiquity until today. This new state-of-the-art vessel reinforces the armouring
of our homeland, declares our determination to defend even our most remote islet, as the constitutional duty of every Greek Government dictates. It is also a factor of naval supremacy, and provides the opportunity of a wider role of security provision, both in the eastern Mediterranean and beyond. It is known that Greece has the leading commercial fleet of the planet. Our flag, our commercial ships, sail to all seas of the world. So, there is no Hellenic Navy without opportunities beyond the horizon. My presence today in this historic event, along with my French counterpart, Minister Mr. Lecornu, proves the strong everlasting ties between France and Greece; the solidarity, the support and, if requested, the mutual defence assistance to counter any attack against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our two countries; based of course on International Law and the United Nations Convention. Besides, this is provided for in the agreement which I had the honour to sign with my colleague, Nikos Panagiotopoulos. The Frigates shipbuilding programme is another opportunity to reinforce the cooperation not only between Greece and France, but also between the French and Greek defence industry. I wish for the extended participation of the Greek defence ecosystem to the French defence ecosystem. I congratulate those who work with high professionalism and quick pace in such a complicated and complex programme. Once again I would like to refer to my dear friend and co-graduate, former Minister of Defence Nikos Panagiotopoulos, because he managed to complete the demanding project of the Agreements, regarding both the acquirement of the FDI Frigates and the RAFALE aircraft. I would like to thank Group Naval, its personnel, the President and CEO, for their warm welcoming and of course my dear colleague, the Minister, Mr. Lecornu, my friend Sébastien.
Thank you".
The Minister of National Defence met also with employees and representatives of the Greek industries participating in the programme.

Upon conclusion of the launching ceremony, the Minister of National Defence visited the Base of the Special Operations Force of the French Navy, where he had a bilateral meeting with the French Minister of Defence, during which the further reinforcement of the strategic defence cooperation was discussed. They exchanged views regarding the security situation in the eastern Mediterranean region, the war in Ukraine and the developments in the countries of the Sahel region. Finally, Mr. Dendias visited the Naval Detachment of the Navy in Lorient and congratulated the Commander and his personnel for his contribution in the
implementation of the FDI HN programme.