Greek Prime Minister Mitsotakis on armament regarding Turkey: 'If we had solved our problems'

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that a significant portion of their investments in armament is made due to issues with Turkey. 

Responding to journalists' questions during a press conference held as part of the 88th Thessaloniki International Fair, Mitsotakis answered a question regarding Turkey by stating that he is "aware of the difficulties in the rapprochement process with Turkey, but that he evaluates the situation with a realistic approach and focuses on positive developments." 

Mitsotakis noted that he is aware that Turkey's views regarding the "Blue Homeland" have not changed, arguing that this situation is the fundamental difficulty in determining maritime jurisdiction areas in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. 

'IF WE THOUGHT WE WOULD HAVE SOLVED OUR PROBLEMS WITH TURKEY'

The Greek Prime Minister said, "If we thought that we would have solved our problems with Turkey for the next few decades, we would not need a significant portion of the investments we have made to increase the deterrent power of our armed forces." Stating that they have seen in the war in Ukraine that sometimes much cheaper weapon systems are much more efficient, Mitsotakis said, "For this reason, together with our Ministry of Defense, we attach importance to supporting Greece's own innovation." 

Mitsotakis expressed that the Ministry of Defense and the government want to focus on innovation regarding anti-drone systems, noting that they want to equip the existing frigates of the Hellenic Armed Forces with domestically produced anti-drone systems, which would be more economical if produced. Mitsotakis stated that they also expect the support of the business world in this regard. 

News Source: 12punto