Greece's ports could be doing far more than moving cargo. That was the central argument at the Athens Defence Conference...

Greece's ports could be doing far more than moving cargo. That was the central argument at the Athens Defence Conference, organized by the Delphi Economic Forum alongside the Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP), where European ambassadors, defense analysts, and energy experts laid out the case for repositioning Greek ports as strategic nodes in the Eastern Mediterranean. German Ambassador Andreas Kindl highlighted military mobility and infrastructure as top priorities for Europe, noting Germany's longstanding interest in Greek ports and its particular focus on areas like Crete and Larissa. He pointed to systematic German investment in transport network connectivity as part of a broader push to keep Europe's supply lines secure. Norwegian Ambassador Harriet E. Berg warned that modern ports need to be ready not just for physical threats but for cyberattacks, calling for close cooperation between governments, port authorities, the shipping industry, and technology companies. She stressed the urgency of cross-border infrastructure development as hybrid threats grow more sophisticated. On the industrial side, Miltiadis Varvitriotis, CEO of Skaramagkas Shipyards, argued that reviving Greek shipbuilding could be a major economic driver, saying every euro invested in Greece's defense industry returns significant benefits and can fund new technology. He pushed for European policies that bring shipbuilding back to the continent. ELIAMEP Professor Panagiotis Tsakonas made the case that Greece can shift from a transit country to a full strategic hub by combining its geographic advantages with political stability, better port-to-hinterland connections, and stronger resilience against hybrid threats. Energy analyst Michalis Mathioulakis added that Greek ports hold real strategic value in the energy sector, specifically when they reduce dependence on outside suppliers by integrating electricity, natural gas, oil, and other critical energy infrastructure under one framework. #Greece #EasternMediterranean #Defense