Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos

| native_name = {{nobold|Νικόλαος Παναγιωτόπουλος}}

| image = Nikolaos PANAGIOTOPOULOS.jpg

| alt = 56-year-old man standing at bust length with dark jacket and tie, light blue shirt and electric blue badge holder lanyard

| caption = Panagiotopoulos in 2022

| office = Minister for Migration and Asylum

| primeminister = Kyriakos Mitsotakis

| term_start = 14 June 2024

| predecessor = Dimitris Kairidis

| office1 = Minister for National Defence

| primeminister1 = Kyriakos Mitsotakis

| term_start1 = 9 July 2019

| term_end1 = 26 May 2023

| predecessor1 = Evangelos Apostolakis

| successor1 = Alkiviadis Stefanis

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|8|18|df=yes}}

| party = New Democracy

| native_name_lang = el

| website = {{Official URL}}

}}

Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos ({{langx|el|Νικόλαος Παναγιωτόπουλος}}; born 18 August 1965 in Kavala){{Cite web|title=CV|url=https://www.hellenicparliament.gr/en/Vouleftes/Viografika-Stoicheia/?MPId=5833f694-9941-4496-9789-40ee4e019dcf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709184046/https://www.hellenicparliament.gr/en/Vouleftes/Viografika-Stoicheia/?MPId=5833f694-9941-4496-9789-40ee4e019dcf|archive-date=9 July 2019|access-date=21 August 2020|website=Hellenic Parliament}}{{Cite web|title=Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos|url=http://www.mod.mil.gr/en/minister-national-defence|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200704050008/http://www.mod.mil.gr/en/minister-national-defence|archive-date=4 July 2020|access-date=21 August 2020|website=Ministry of National Defence}} is a Greek politician of the New Democracy party who served as Minister for National Defence in the cabinet of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis from 2019 to 2023.{{Cite news|date=9 July 2019|title=New Greek PM sworn in and a new Cabinet is announced|work=Neos Kosmos|url=https://neoskosmos.com/en/140815/new-greek-pm-sworn-in-and-a-new-cabinet-is-announced/|url-status=live|access-date=22 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200822093150/https://neoskosmos.com/en/140815/new-greek-pm-sworn-in-and-a-new-cabinet-is-announced/|archive-date=22 August 2020}}{{Cite news|date=9 July 2019|title=The Composition of the New Greek Government|work=The National Herald|url=https://www.thenationalherald.com/archive_politics/arthro/the_composition_of_the_new_greek_government-53753/|url-status=live|access-date=22 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200822093654/https://www.thenationalherald.com/archive_politics/arthro/the_composition_of_the_new_greek_government-53753/|archive-date=22 August 2020}}

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 ($3.04 billion) in January 2021.[https://www.reuters.com/world/greek-parliament-approves-purchase-rafale-fighters-france-2021-01-14/ Greek parliament approves purchase of Rafale fighters from France] Reuters, January 14, 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.John Irish (28 September 2021), [https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/greece-buys-three-new-french-frigates-boost-european-defence-2021-09-28/ Macron tells Europe to 'stop being naive' after France signs defence deal with Greece] Reuters.

In the June 2023 Greek legislative election, he was elected to the Hellenic Parliament from Kavala.