FFrance and Greece agreed on Tuesday in Paris a new security alliance, which they want to interpret as “the first bold step towards European strategic autonomy”. Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakiso It is about “mutual obligations that go beyond the EU and NATO”, said a joint news conference at the Elysee Palace. He didn’t say what he actually meant by that. Mitsotakis recalled “tough times in the summer of 2020” when France alone rushed to Greece’s aid. In a conflict with Turkey over natural gas reserves, France ordered two warships in the eastern Mediterranean. When asked about relations with Turkey, the President said Emmanuel MacronGreece is a European outpost in an area of geopolitical and energy policy importance to the European Union.
“We are working with Greece to defend itself in the event of an incursion, attack or invasion,” he said. long sign on english vowel With a view to NATO ally Turkey. At the same time, he stressed that the intensive security partnership was not directed against any particular country. The Defense Ministers of both the countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the purchase of three warships from the French Shipyard Naval Group. The Naval Group last made headlines by ending its submarine contract with Australia. Macron said the warships for Greece would be built in the Breton port city of Lorient. The cost of the three warships was kept at around three billion euros. There is also the option of another frigate.
One Swipe on Heiko Maso
Defense Minister Florence Parly A release praised “a historic deal”. In addition to the French Naval Group, the German company TKMS and the American company Lockheed Martin participated in the tender for the original four battleships. Greece has already ordered 24 Rafale fighter jets from Dassault this year, making it the first EU country to use French technology.
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“We are committed to equipping Greece to respect its territorial integrity,” Macron said. The French president used his appearance on the side of the Greek prime minister to complain about the EU’s naivety on defense issues. His words on the foreign minister haiko maso (SPD), who mediated the dispute between Turkey and Greece in August 2020.
Maas relied on appeasement and appealed to both sides to “end the game with fire”. Macron justified the deployment of the warships, saying, “If we come under pressure from states that take a tough stand, we have to respond and show that we have the means and the will to defend ourselves.” “It doesn’t mean that we (the struggle) escalate, but that we gain respect,” said the Frenchman. What they don’t realize is that Greece was “bellicose” in the summer of 2020. “Europeans will have to overcome their innocence,” Macron warned.
Asked about differences with the US over secret talks with Australia and Britain, he said the French ambassador would return to Washington this Wednesday. In a telephonic conversation with the US President, he had agreed to lay the foundation for a renewed trust relationship. Macron announced another meeting with Biden in mid-October. Americans are, and will be, great historical allies with whom France shares values. “But for a little over a decade their strategic interests have shifted to China and the Pacific.” Europeans should heed this and “act for their own safety”.
The security partnership between Paris and Athens was announced two weeks after a new “security alliance” called AUKUS was announced for the US, Great Britain and Australia in the Indo-Pacific. Macron said Europe would be making a terrible mistake if it did not draw conclusions from the US’s behavior over the years. It is about strengthening the European pillar in NATO. Together with Mitsotakis he first opened an exhibition in the Louvre titled “Paris – Athens: Birth of Modern Greece 1675–1919”. “It was normal for us to support Greece’s struggle for independence. We will always support Greece because it is embedded at the heart of our culture,” Macron said.
