Mattis meets with Greek, Indian officials

WASHINGTON, March 24 (KUNA) - US Secretary of Defense James Mattis on Friday met separately with Greek and Indian officials to discuss security concerns within their respective regions.
The meeting with Greece's Minister of Defense Panos Kammenos reviewed "trans-Mediterranean migration, terrorism, and instability in the Balkans, Northern Africa and the Middle East," according to a Pentagon statement.
Mattis "thanked Greece for being one of five NATO allies that invests two percent of its GDP on defense, and expressed his appreciation to Minister Kammenos for hosting US forces at Souda Bay, Crete.
"He also noted Greece's participation in NATO's Aegean Activity and Kosovo Force and Greece's strategic support in the counter-terrorism and extremism fight," the statement said.
In his meeting with Indian National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Mattis stressed the importance of the bilateral US-India relationship and "the role of both nations in cooperating to uphold international laws and principles." Mattis "specifically applauded India's efforts to promote stability in the South Asia region," and the two officials "discussed collaboration on a wide range of regional security matters including maritime security and counter terrorism," it added. (end) ys.gb