The Greek Parliament ratified the Defence Pact with France

On Thursday the Greek Parliament ratified a defence pact with France, signed by French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mikotakis, in which the Greeks will acquire three French multitasking fregates of the type FDI. Paris and Athens commit each other to military aid.

Micotakis said in parliament that this pact protects Greece during the period of "anxiety in the Mediterranean", which was a reference to the dispute with Turkey over the right to exploit oil and gas deposits in the eastern part of the sea.

"In the event of an attack, our country will benefit from the support of the most powerful army on our continent," added the head of the Greek government.

Macron and Micotakis, who signed a five-year agreement at the end of September, declared that it would be beneficial for the EU and NATO, as it favours the security of the Mediterranean, writes the AFP. The Turkish authorities criticised this pact as "a threat to stability and peace in the region".

Under the French Agreement Manufacturer Naval Group will provide Greece with multitasking frigates of type FDI fully digital wall radar AESA Thales Sea Fire (with an integrated ECM/EW combat module) which provides sky-higher capabilities to detect and combat air targets (including future supersonic and hypersonic missiles) also has the ability to use data to use anti-aircraft missiles from other ships. In addition, the frigate uses software for cooperative surveillance, integrating data from radars of multiple platforms into one current tactical situation picture.

These ships have special BCIs to combat asymmetric threats ( 360° observation, surveillance of threats on the screen with expanded reality, directing non-lethal weapons and auxiliary artillery) which is extremely important in activities below the threshold of war, in waters at risk of terrorism or piracy. The value of the contract amounts to EUR 3 billion and the ships will be delivered from 2025 onwards.

The main Greek opposition party, Siriza, voted in parliament against an agreement because it obliges Greece to support French military operations in the Sahel region. AFP cites a Greek diplomatic source that estimates that the war in this African region "is a potential bomb with delayed ignition in the Mediterranean."

September 2020After a dangerous confrontation with Turkey, Prime Minister Micotakis reported on the implementation of the most ambitious arms purchasing programme for Greece in many decades.

The Associated Press states that the Greek Government is also negotiating with the US authorities to extend the Defence Cooperation Agreement to enable American soldiers to access Greek military bases.

There was an increase in tension between Ankara and Athens when the Turkish ship Oruc Reis influenced the waters between Crete and Cyprus that both countries consider to be their own. Since then, both sides of the conflict have conducted several maneuvers in the disputed Mediterranean and French Polish Navy it supported Greece by sending a frigate of La Fayette and Rafale fighters.

Turkey has also repeatedly threatened to use the political and military resources to defend its right to deposit raw materials in the region, which Greece considers to be a violation of its sovereignty.

Written by MD/PAP