Defence ministers from Greece, Italy, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia met in Venice on 5 October 2026 for a ministerial meeting of the Adriatic\u2013Ionian Initiative (ADRION), focusing on regional security, stability and operational cooperation. Hosted aboard the Italian Navy\u2019s historic sailing ship Amerigo Vespucci, the meeting brought together Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias and his counterparts Guido Crosetto of Italy, Ermal Nufi of Albania, Ivan Anusic of Croatia, Dragan Krapovic of Montenegro and Valentin Hajdinjak of Slovenia. Discussions addressed security challenges across the Adriatic, Ionian and wider Mediterranean region, alongside the need for a stronger collective European defence approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dendias called for a common European defence shield along the lines of Greece\u2019s planned \u201cAchilles\u2019 Shield\u201d, which forms part of the country\u2019s \u201cAgenda 2030\u201d defence reform programme. He outlined Greece\u2019s intention to contribute to a stronger regional security framework through sustained engagement, with international law and the international law of the sea serving as key reference points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the sidelines of the meeting, Dendias and Crosetto discussed the possible transfer of two second-hand Italian minehunters to Greece. The Greek minister also met Hajdinjak to discuss strengthening bilateral defence relations. His Slovenian counterpart invited him to the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) meeting to be held in Slovenia under Greece\u2019s chairmanship of the process. Dendias, in turn, invited Hajdinjak to visit Greece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The six ministers adopted a joint statement at the conclusion of the ADRION meeting. Its full text in English follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00abWe, the Ministers of Defence of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative (ADRION) participating countries, gathered on board Italian Navy Ship Amerigo Vespucci in Venice on the 5th of October 2026 on the occasion of the ADRION Defence Ministerial Meeting: H.E. Mr. Ermal Nufi, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Albania; H.E. Mr. Ivan Anu\u0161i\u0107, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the Republic of Croatia; H.E. Mr. Nikolaos Dendias, Minister of National Defence of the Hellenic Republic; H.E. Mr. Guido Crosetto, Minister of Defence of the Italian Republic (Chair); H.E. Mr. Dragan Krapovi\u0107, Minister of Defence of Montenegro; H.E. Mr. Valentin Hajdinjak, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u27a2 Today, we have carried forward the well-established path of cooperation developed over time through ADRION. Over the years, this initiative has strengthened dialogue and cooperation among our countries and, today, in the face of a profoundly transformed security environment, it can express its strategic and operational value even more fully.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u27a2 ADRION is founded on a reality made evident by geography. The Adriatic and Ionian Seas form an integral part of, and a strategic link between, the Mediterranean, continental Europe and the Euro-Atlantic area. In a context in which conventional, hybrid and highly technological threats are increasingly interconnected, geographical proximity must translate into closer cooperation, through stronger coordination, more effective information-sharing and, above all, an enhanced ability to act together. The positive results achieved by ADRION demonstrate the value of long-standing cooperation among the participating States, founded on the principles of good-neighbourly relations and full respect for sovereign rights and jurisdiction, in accordance with international law and, in particular, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u27a2 In this perspective, and within the framework of a common commitment to be pursued primarily within NATO, as well as the EU, considering that the security and stability of the Western Balkans are inseparable from the security of the Adriatic-Ionian area and Europe as a whole, and reaffirming our commitment to the stability, resilience and European and EuroAtlantic perspective of the region, we take note of the vision of a European Defence Initiative in its continental dimension (Continental European Defence Initiative, CEDI), conceived as a voluntary, intergovernmental political-strategic forum dedicated to consultation, coordination and the exploration of concrete forms of cooperation in the field of security and defence of the European continent. It would be fully complementary to NATO and based on integration with the instruments and mechanisms already existing within NATO and the EU. The security of our continent requires a vision capable of engaging all like-minded European continental countries, which share and implement our democratic values, united by the determination to make a tangible contribution to our common security. In line with these principles, EU Security and Defence Partnerships could also be explored as a means of further strengthening cooperation with all non-EU European countries.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u27a2 Within this vision, we also take note of the possibility of exploring new forms of cooperation, including through a Defence Shield, conceived as a continental security and defence infrastructure: an integrated, multi-layered network linking space, land and maritime capabilities within a single operational architecture resilient to cyber threats. Within ADRION, this approach could also be extended to other strategic areas of common interest, beginning with the protection of critical infrastructure and underwater security, military mobility and countering hybrid threats. Connecting and making the fullest possible use of individual countries\u2019 capabilities means strengthening the capabilities of all, turning interoperability into a multiplier of our collective effectiveness. In exploring such possibilities, full use should be made of the cooperation frameworks already existing within the EU and NATO. To this end, we underline the need to strengthen our collective resilience against hybrid and cyber threats, disinformation and other forms of hostile interference aimed at undermining our security, democratic institutions and the resilience of our societies.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u27a2 ADRION represents an established framework upon which to build this higher level of integration, while respecting the principle of flexibility, strengthening industrial and technological cooperation and accelerating innovation. Looking ahead, ADRION should increasingly develop into a strategic platform through which our countries assume greater responsibility for the security of the Adriatic-Ionian area and make a tangible contribution to the security of Europe and the Alliance. A key step will be to work towards common and standardised requirements, so that our countries\u2019 capabilities are designed from the outset to be interoperable, interchangeable and interconnected.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u27a2 It is along this path that we intend to continue developing ADRION. A regular dialogue among Ministers of Defence is essential to provide political impetus, identify shared priorities as well as common threats, and steer cooperation towards concrete objectives, while at the same time strengthening our situational awareness, the timely exchange of information and our countries\u2019 ability to respond effectively.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u27a2 The strength of ADRION lies in its ability to transform a shared geography into a common capacity to act. This is the contribution that, from the Adriatic-Ionian region, we intend to continue making to the security of the European continent and the Atlantic Alliance.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u27a2 Our common objective is clear: a secure and resilient Adriatic-Ionian region, a stable neighbourhood, a stronger European contribution to defence, and a stronger transatlantic Alliance\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Defence ministers from Greece, Italy, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia met in Venice on 5 October 2026 for a ministerial meeting of the Adriatic\u2013Ionian Initiative (ADRION), focusing on regional security, stability and operational cooperation. Hosted aboard the Italian Navy\u2019s historic sailing ship Amerigo Vespucci, the meeting brought together Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias and his […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18163,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_caption":"\u00a9 Photo credit: Hellenic Ministry of National Defence \/ Directorate of Information \/ Christos Pelekoudas.","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_nocaption":"","_FSMCFIC_featured_image_hide":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18162","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-greek-defence-news"],"yoast_head":"\n