In July, the Minister of National Defense, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, and the Head of the Greek Armed Forces, Konstantinos Floros, travel to the USA for Greece’s official request for the acquisition of F-35 fighter jets.
The messages sent to Ankara by the United States and the EU were clearly against Turkey’s provocation, something that was also seen by the fact that Erdogan left the Summit without raising any issue that also concerned Greece.
The statements of the Prime Minister are typical “In the field we will not have any mobility and we will not have a repeat of the summer of 2020”.
The Turkish President, who has his sights fixed on his home country due to the upcoming elections, has achieved what he has been ardently seeking, a meeting with the US President. And while the issue of the consideration of the upgrade of the Turkish F-16s by the American Congress is pending, the assessment that exists in Athens is that in the next period it will make… careful moves.
From the Greek side, it is estimated that most of Erdogan’s movements and rhetorical outbursts are largely aimed at the domestic audience. There, Mr. Mitsotakis attributed the fact that there was no mention of the Turkish president within the Synod, as he said, “I think this says something, to the extent that these arguments can really stand in an international environment such as that of NATO, or are they after all, it is an argument that aims more at internal public opinion and not at an alliance of countries that should think and perceive security in the same way as NATO is.
a) The clear message, as reflected in the White House press release, from the American President to Erdogan to avoid tensions in the Aegean and in Syria.
“The reference to the tensions in the Aegean, caused by Turkey, is a direct exhortation to Ankara to return to the dialogue table and to avoid the extreme rhetoric that we have unfortunately suffered in recent months,” stressed K. Mitsotakis.
b) In none of the many discussions during this Summit was any issue raised by Turkey regarding the promotion of its own arguments against Greece, as he pointed out.
c) The message of the Allies that any discussion that might destabilize NATO is not tolerated.
d) NATO’s new strategic doctrine, which emphasizes the adherence of Alliance members to the concepts of territorial integrity and International Law.
“The purchase of any weapons system by the United States is a long process, which requires not only the will of the executive branch, but also the approval of Congress. So it’s a process that will go through many waves,” said the Prime Minister, who during his recent visit to the US thoroughly informed Congress about Turkish provocation and Erdoğan’s revisionist fantasies about the “Blue Homeland”, and he found… receptive ears.
At the same time, however, Athens is “running” the agreement for the F-35 which has caused a sensation in Turkey. The political and military leadership does not seem complacent and continues to modernize the armed forces, despite Erdogan’s occasional rhetorical shifts. The aim is to maintain the deterrent power of the Greek army, regardless of any developments.
In July, the Minister of National Defense, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, and the Head of the Greek Armed Forces, Konstantinos Floros, travel to the USA for Greece’s official request for the acquisition of F-35 fighter jets.
Specifically, General K. Floros will be the first to go to the USA in mid-July, while on July 18 the Minister of Defense will also go to discuss the procurement of the F-35, which is considered the most modern weapon system in the world.
Greece, in an official request to the United States, has requested the commitment of 20 F-35 aircraft, with an option for another 20. The delivery of the first fighters will begin in 2028 and be completed in 2033, at a cost of 1.6 billion euros.
