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Athens, Greece – Greece has announced the purchase of 6 to 8 French-made warships and the establishment of a strategic defense partnership with France. The Prime Minister of Greece called this “the first step towards European defense autonomy.”
On Tuesday, Kyriakos Mitsotakis stood beside French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace and said: “We have a common vision, which is to have the ability to respond autonomously to the challenges facing Europe.”
The $5 billion deal will provide Athens with three state-of-the-art Beljara frigates and three Gowind frigates, each with the option of one more.
According to local reports, these ships will be delivered in 2026, and the first frigate will arrive in 2024 at the earliest.
Since Mizotakis announced that Greece will purchase a new frigate in September 2019, the French Naval Group and the US defense contractor Lockheed Martin have been fiercely competing for contracts.
For Macron, after Australia violated a US$66 billion purchase of French diesel submarines earlier this month, announcing its intention to build nuclear submarines in accordance with the Aukus Agreement of the Trilateral Security Treaty instead of using technology provided by the United States. It was a much-needed victory. Between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Macron emphasized that the Greek agreement strengthened his vision of European strategic autonomy.
“We are committed to European independence,” he said. “This is part of our common struggle in Europe-technological independence, European defense and combat readiness.”
Both leaders mentioned that the Sahel, the Middle East, the Mediterranean and the Balkans are areas where Europe can conduct joint military operations.
In recent years, in the context of the deterioration of relations with Turkey, the relations between Greece and France have become closer.
Last year, when Ankara sent a survey ship to search for subsea oil and gas within Greece’s maritime jurisdiction, Greece and Turkey were on the brink of war.
France sent naval forces to help Greece’s aging fleet of 11 frigates patrol its waters. Since then, the two countries have conducted joint and multilateral air and sea exercises in the Aegean Sea and the Eastern Mediterranean.
Last year, Greece announced the purchase of 18 fourth-generation Rafale fighters at a price of 2.5 billion U.S. dollars. Mizotakis increased the number of jets to 24 this month.
“This is not a simple arms sale. This is a strategic agreement to change the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean,” said Dimitris Kairidis, professor of international relations, of the naval agreement.
“France is filling the security gap in the region. There is a mutual defense agreement, so if we get into trouble, we have a nuclear power and a permanent member of the Security Council in our corner.”
The 2020 crisis follows Greece’s worst economic recession in history since the 2008 global financial collapse. Greece slashed its defense spending by half.
“No spare parts were purchased, there were operational problems, the frigate could not sail, and the aircraft could not fly,” Constantinos Felice, professor of international relations at the Hellenic Institute of America, told Al Jazeera.
This handout picture received from the French naval defense and energy group DCNS on October 18, 2016 shows an artist’s impression of the proposed new generation of 4000-ton digital frigate Belharra [File: Ho/DCNS/AFP]In 2018, Greece and Lockheed Martin of the United States signed a $1.3 billion agreement to upgrade its 85 F-16 fighter jets to the Viper class and install advanced radar and weapon systems on the aircraft.
Both the Rafale and the Viper will exceed Turkey’s estimated standing fleet of 236 aging F-16s.
“With the modernization of the F-16, the purchase of gusts and the purchase of frigates, Greece is making up for some lost ground,” Phyllis said. “Because over the years, Turkey has greatly strengthened its defense industry. In a short period of time, more than 70% of its systems are homemade.”
Turkey’s weapon-capable Bayraktar TB2 UAV reversed the battle between Libya and Nagorno-Karabakh last year and may pose a huge threat to the Aegean Sea.
Mizotakis issued a settlement notice on the eve of the transaction.
“I don’t want to enter an arms race with Turkey-this is not my intention,” he told the ERT National Channel on Monday night.
This month, he said at the 76th UN General Assembly: “I have a vision for the Eastern Mediterranean. Instead of fighting for the hydrocarbons of the last century (a declining commodity), we must join forces to deal with a new common enemy. ——The climate crisis has had the same impact on our two countries, but we also face the threat of illegal immigration.”
But Greece’s large-scale armament modernization, even if its national debt has reached nearly twice its gross domestic product (GDP), is obviously due to Turkey.
“Let’s not deceive ourselves. Greece did this because of its problems with Turkey,” Phyllis said. “If we had neighbors in Switzerland, things would be much simpler and the money would be spent on education, health and social conditions.”
Greece is also unwilling to give the impression that its deal with France is detrimental to its key relationship with the United States.
Greek Foreign Minister Nicos Dendias traveled to Washington, DC on October 14 to sign a new joint defense cooperation agreement aimed at strengthening cooperation.
Not just update but upgrade
According to military sources, the Beljara has increased Greece’s capabilities in the Eastern Mediterranean.
“Belharra… forms a single aviation unit with Rafale… these systems work better when networked, and their missiles project power in the air because they have a long range and are very capable,” Constantinos Ge Rivas said he teaches weapon systems at the university. Greek Army Academy.
The Belharra frigate will carry the Aster-30 hypersonic surface-to-air missile, capable of traveling at four and a half times the speed of the semisonic and the speed of combating guided ballistic missiles. The gust carries a meteor air-to-air missile. Both systems have a range of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles) and are supported by sophisticated radar systems.
“These are cutting-edge technological weapons,” Grivas told Al Jazeera. “They are among the best of their kind in the East and West systems. We are entering a group of countries that can strike targets at a long distance.”
Admiral Stelios Fenekos agreed that Belharra is a game changer.
“They cover areas where we have so far limited capabilities. These frigates can easily cover the entire range of the Eastern Mediterranean and increase the country’s international influence.”
He emphasized their ability to establish air and naval control over vast areas.
“The enemy pilots must think very carefully before entering within 200 kilometers of these ships,” Fenecos said.
What is important for Greece is that these are not systems that France provides to Turkey.
This is in stark contrast to Germany’s decision to sell Turkey’s advanced Type 214 submarine that Greece purchased in 2000.
“Since they sold the Greek Mirage fighter jet, this has been a strategic choice for the French. [in the 1980s],” Phyllis said. “They will not sell the same weapons to Turkey. “
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