Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos

Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos is a Greek politician of the New Democracy party who served as Minister for [National Defence (Greece)|Minister for National Defence] in the cabinet of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis from 2019 to 2023.

Political career

During Panagiotopoulos' time in office, the Greek parliament approved the purchase of six new and 12 used Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft from France for 2.5 billion euros in January 2021. Later that year, he led efforts on a defence pact between Greece and France, a NATO ally, whereby they would come to each other's aid in the event of an external threat. The pact included an order for three French frigates worth 3 billion euros.
In the June 2023 Greek legislative election, he was elected to the Hellenic Parliament from Kavala.