The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg next NATO leader...[ 3906 ]

NATO names Norway’s Jens Stoltenberg as next leader

Reuters | Brussels | March 28, 2014 10:13 pm

Jens Stoltenberg during his days as the Prime Minister of Norway. (Reuters) 
Jens Stoltenberg during his days as the Prime Minister of Norway. (Reuters)
Related
.
NATO chose former Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg as its next leader on Friday at a time when the Western military alliance must deal with a resurgent Russia following its annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea. Stoltenberg will take over as secretary-general of the 28-nation grouping on Oct. 1, succeeding former Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who has led NATO since 2009.
Stoltenberg, the first Norwegian to occupy NATO’s top post, will take over at a time when NATO, seen by some as a Cold War relic, has gained new relevance because of concerns about what the Ukraine crisis says about a newly assertive Russia.
“Stoltenberg’s Norway is seen as a very serious defence player and has always taken the challenge of Russia very, very seriously. I think there is a little bit of a signal there,” said Daniel Keohane, a defence expert at the FRIDE thinktank.
Stoltenberg will take over at a turning point in NATO’s history. The urgency of the Ukraine crisis means that the alliance, which is due to end combat operations in Afghanistan at the end of this year, is likely to refocus back onto its core task of defending its member countries.
NATO foreign ministers are expected to discuss next week in Brussels how they can reinforce the alliance’s military presence in eastern European countries such as the Baltics and Poland, which are nervous that they are vulnerable.
CHALLENGE
Stoltenberg will also face a challenge in trying to persuade European countries to reverse, or at least end, sharp cuts in defence spending that many of them have adopted in response to the financial crisis.
Stoltenberg, who served for nearly 10 years as Norway’s prime minister before losing elections last September, was backed by the United States, NATO’s dominant power, and Germany. British Prime Minister David Cameron said on Wednesday that he also backed Stoltenberg.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, regarded as another potential candidate for NATO leader, said on Twitter on Thursday that Stoltenberg would be “a good NATO secretary-general. Poland will support him.”
Others in the frame to succeed Rasmussen were Belgian Defence Minister Pieter de Crem and former Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini.
Stoltenberg is considered a skilful economic operator who got Norway through the global financial crisis relatively unharmed as the government used its massive stored oil wealth to boost spending, create demand and keep unemployment low.
His governments backed NATO’s military campaigns in Afghanistan and Libya. During his time as prime minister, the country also began to place orders for Joint Strike Fighter aircraft from U.S. manufacturer Lockheed Martin Corp to replace an ageing fleet of F-16s.
Αναρτήθηκε από στις
Ετικέτες

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)