France and Greece signed a new arms deal on Tuesday to strengthen their strategic cooperation within Europe. The announcement comes after Australia abandoned a multi-billion dollar submarine deal with France for the AUKUS military partnership with the United States (US) and the United Kingdom.
During the signing ceremony at the Élysée Palace, French President Emmanuel Macron said, “Greece will buy three frigates from France as part of a deeper strategic partnership between the two countries to defend their shared interests in the Mediterranean.” “The deal marks an audacious first step towards European strategic autonomy,” Macron added.
Similarly, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, “Today is a historic day for Greece and France. We have decided to upgrade our bilateral defensive cooperation.”
It has been reported that the agreement involves “mutual support” and “joint action at all levels.” However, no financial details regarding the contract have been shared.
According to Greek media reports, the arms deal could include the sale of Belharra frigates and Gowind corvettes. The agreement would also help the French defence industry recover from the losses incurred due to the lost submarine contract.
Moreover, Mitsotakis has assured that the defence agreement with France would not affect the defence cooperation deal under discussion between the US and Greece despite frayed diplomatic relations between Europe and Washington over AUKUS. Similarly, Macron assured that the nuclear-powered submarine deal between the US and Australia would not affect France’s Indo-Pacific strategy. “We have one million fellow citizens who live in this region and over 8,000 soldiers deployed there,” he said. However, he added that “Europeans must stop being naive regarding the geopolitical competition.”
Earlier this month, Mitsotakis announced a surprise purchase of six French-made Rafale warplanes apart from the $2.9-billion deal signed in January for 12 used and six new Rafales. In addition, last year, Greece finalised a €2.5 billion agreement with France to acquire 18 Dassault-made Rafale fighter jets.
Greece’s arms build-up aims to counter challenges posed by Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean over several issues, including claims over hydrogen resources in the Aegean Sea and the demilitarisation of the island. France is one of the few European countries to have offered public support to Greece in the face of such challenges.
Likewise, Greece supports France’s call for a European army. “The demand for European strategic autonomy is imperative. Europe has an obligation to be able to act autonomously if it so wishes,” Mitsotakis said. He added that France and Greece would be “in the front line” of such an initiative.
France Signs Defence Deal With Greece After AUKUS Fallout
On Tuesday, France and Greece signed a new arms deal to strengthen strategic ties within Europe. The agreement comes after France lost its multi-billion submarine contract with Australia.
September 28, 2021
SOURCE: POLITICO EUROPE