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.........

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

The US nuclear weapons in Europe;;[ 2084 ]

Russia urges US to withdraw nuclear weapons from Europe

TREND///07.02.2011 20:13
Russia urges US to withdraw nuclear weapons from Europe

Russia on Monday urged the United States to withdraw its tactical nuclear weapons from Europe, as NATO's top official said he was optimistic talks on the issue could be held, dpa reported.
Such a move by the US would build confidence, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in Moscow, Interfax news agency reported.
The call came two days after the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, or New START, came into force between Russia and the US.
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Earlier, Russia's State Duma parliament had asked the US to redeploy its nuclear weapons back home and dismantle the infrastructure for them on foreign soil.
The number of US battlefield nuclear weapons in Europe is a closely-guarded secret, but unofficial reports and leaks suggest that there are some 200 warheads stored in depots in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Turkey.
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Over the past 18 months, NATO officials have repeatedly said that they would like to see New START followed by an agreement on reducing the tactical nuclear stockpiles in Europe. According to NATO, Russia currently has some 5,000 such warheads on its European territory.
In a separate briefing on Monday in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said new START made him "optimistic" that it would be possible to launch negotiations on the issue.
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Meanwhile, speaking in Moscow, Deputy Defence Minister Anatoly Antonov repeated his call for NATO to build a common missile defence programme with Russia in Europe.
NATO leaders in November agreed to set up a NATO anti-missile system in Europe, and invited Russia to start talks on how each side could share information from its planned system with the other. Russia accepted, but has since fiercely criticized the NATO plan.
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"At the moment, there are no weapons in the region that are a threat to NATO," Antonov was quoted as saying. "In this context, any defence system built solely by NATO would be directed at Russia."
In such a case Russia would react militarily, he said, hinting at the deployment of short-range missiles.
A number of top Russian politicians have said that NATO should scrap its plan and, instead, set up a joint NATO-Russia missile shield which would only be able to fire if both sides agreed to it.
Rasmussen dismissed that proposal on Monday.
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"NATO is responsible for the protection and defence of NATO allies ... This responsibility can't be outsourced. Honestly speaking, would you expect the Russian people to accept that defence of Russian territory should be taken care of by NATO?" he asked.
However, he said that he was "quite optimistic" that a deal could be reached, despite "slightly different ideas" on the concept.
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Antonov also said that Russia wanted "further nuclear disarmament," and that Moscow was prepared to talk with other nuclear powers in addition to the US.
NATO nations are set to review their nuclear and conventional forces at a summit in early 2012, with a number of nations, including Germany, pushing for the alliance to reduce its nuclear capability.
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