The Embassy of Sweden in Greece and ELIAMEP organized a closed discussion on “Security Interests from the High North to the Eastern Mediterranean” on Monday 10 March 2025. This event marked one year since Sweden entered a new phase in its history with its accession to NATO on March 7, 2024, ending over 200 years of neutrality or military non-alignment. The catalyst for this shift was Russia’s unprovoked and brutal war of aggression against Ukraine, initiated on February 24, 2022, which severely undermined European and North-Atlantic security. Sweden and Greece, positioned on opposite sides of NATO’s geography, face both shared and region-specific security challenges. The discussion explored where these challenges intersect and what lessons can be learned from each other.
Keynote Speakers
Thanos Dokos, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Greece
Johan Frisell, Deputy Director General, Head of the Security Policy Department, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Panel 1: Sum of its parts – Greece’s and Sweden’s roles in NATO
Johan Frisell, Deputy Director General, Head of the Security Policy Department, Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs
Dimitris Kairidis, Head of the Greek Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly; First Vice President of the Standing Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs, Hellenic Parliament
Ino Afentouli, Executive Director, Institute for International Relations (IDIS)
Panayotis Tsakonas, Head, Foreign Policy & Security Programme, ELIAMEP; Professor, University of Athens
Moderator: Alexia Tasouli, Diplomatic Correspondent
Panel 2: Defence Innovation in Greece, Sweden, EU, NATO
Katarina Björklund, Vice President EU and NATO innovation, Group Government Affairs, Saab AB
George Nounesis, Director & Chairman of the Board of the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”
Akis Karatrantos, Senior Research Fellow, ELIAMEP
Tassos Rozolis, Chairman of the Board, Hellenic Manufacturers of Defence Materiel Association (SEKPY)
Moderator: Alexia Tasouli, Diplomatic Correspondent
Media Coverage
You can read Johan Frisell’s interview to AMNA here.
You can read the e-Kathimerini article here.
