Defense contracts in Thursday's cabinet meeting

Opening the first working meeting on "Analysis of the Balkan & East Mediterranean Geopolitical Environment" at the National Defense Ministry involving briefings of the defense staff by the academic community, Panagiotopoulos also said that an independent bureau of defense diplomacy would be set up at the Foreign Ministry to improve coordination between them.

Further meetings would be set up with specialists from the academic community, he said, for information on geostrategic analysis, geopolitics, strategic communication and the complications of the field globally. "We must be aware of every change" in global events, he stressed.

The meetings were set up by the ministry, and their opening was attended by Deputy National Defense Minister Alkiviadis Stefanis and Secretary General Antonios Economou, and defense force leaders.

Speakers included specialists in economics, geology, international relations & studies, history, law, and European & international politics, among others.