France and Greece have on Tuesday, signed a bilateral defence deal, which Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece described as a move to expanding their relationship with France, build mutual assistance and joint action in all fields.
The bilateral defence deal which is coming a few days after the controversial AUKUS deal between Australia, Britain And the United States of America, was signed by President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday.
The deal according to the two leaders, will see Greece order three frigates and jets, said to be worth 3billion Euros.
France will sell three “Belharra” frigates to Athens. The Minister of the Armed Forces Florence Parly specifies that a fourth is optional.
These ships are FDI-HN frigates, buildings weighing 4,600 tonnes and over 120 meters long, equipped with ultra-modern radars designed by Thales. These frigates will be built in France, in Lorient.
It is a “testimony of confidence and demonstration of the quality of the French offer”, declared Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace after signing the contract.
France and Greece signed the memorandum of understanding on Tuesday, which will also see the final contract signed within three months, a deadline which will be used to define the distribution of the sites with Greece and the final amount of this contract estimated to date at 3 billion euros.
“Today is a historic day for Greece and France. Because with Macron we have decided to upgrade our bilateral defensive cooperation while expanding our state’s mood for support, mutual assistance and joint action in all fields. The signing of the agreement establishing a strategic partnership for defence and security cooperation not only captures but reinforces a reality which is well known to all how our two countries, Greece and France have already developed a strong allied relationship,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
Macron confirming the deal said:
” We have just signed a strategic partnership for defence and security cooperation. This partnership strengthens our collective security, strategic autonomy and European sovereignty. Concrete translation: Greece’s decision to have Rafale Fighter jets and 3 Frigate that will be built in France, in Lorient so Much testimonials of confidence and demonstration of the quality of the French offer, ” he said.
The two leaders also visited the Louvre Museum where the Paris-Athens exhibition was inaugurated.