France and Greece announce expansion of military partnership
Macron warned that Europe would be making a terrible mistake if it did not learn lessons from US behaviour in recent years and begin to take steps to ensure its own protection
France and Greece want to cooperate even more closely on defence and security issues in the future, the two countries said as they signed a strategic treaty at a ceremony in Paris on Tuesday.
The agreement marked the expansion of an already existing alliance, French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed in a joint statement.
The agreement also pointed towards greater EU independence in both military and foreign policy terms, they wrote.
Macron spoke of a partnership that would have significant geopolitical consequences, particularly in the eastern Mediterranean, where he said that European interests, particularly with regard to energy, are considerable.
Last year, Macron recalled, France demonstrated its solidarity with Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean. Tuesday's agreement was simply a consolidation of that support.
In the summer of 2020, Greece and Turkey found themselves on the verge of military confrontation due to a row about newly discovered natural gas deposits in the eastern Mediterranean.
Fighter jets, frigates
Since the French voiced their support for Greece in the dispute last year, Athens has ordered 24 Rafale fighter-bombers from France. As part of Tuesday's agreement, Greece also placed orders for three French frigates.
Mitsotakis stressed that military cooperation with Paris was not only bilateral, but would also pave the way for a strong, autonomous EU.
The agreement between France and Greece comes some two weeks after the announcement of a new security alliance between the US, Britain and Australia in the Indo-Pacific, which was also accompanied by the collapse of a multibillion dollar submarine deal between France and Australia.
France, which is in any case committed to stronger European defence, has since been trying to make headway on the issue.
Macron warned that Europe would be making a terrible mistake if it did not learn lessons from US behaviour in recent years and begin to take steps to ensure its own protection.