Cooperation agreement between Greece and France renewed indefinitely: Unless one party objects

French President Emmanuel Macron, on the second day of his visit to the capital Athens, first visited the Belharra-class frigate that Greece purchased from France and named "Kimon" with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Following the visit to the Port of Piraeus, the two leaders met at Mitsotakis's prime ministerial office.

NEW AGREEMENTS SIGNED

Following the leaders' meeting, 8 new agreements were signed between the two countries.

The Strategic Partnership Agreement for Cooperation in the Fields of Defense and Security, which was signed between the two countries in Paris in September 2021 for a period of 5 years, was renewed, and it was stated that the agreement would be automatically extended unless the parties object.

In addition, 8 new agreements were signed regarding education, science, nuclear technology, defense, digital ocean systems, and military technology, as well as the continuous support of MICA IF/RF missiles.

EMPHASIS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF NATO

Following the signing of the agreements, the two leaders held a joint press conference.

Macron noted that the agreement on cooperation in the field of defense, which they renewed today, contains a clause regarding mutual assistance in the event of an armed attack.

Macron stated, "These are not just words. This clause will be implemented in practice. This is exactly what we did together for Cyprus on March 1 and 2 and in the following weeks."

Stating that they are strengthening the partnership between the two countries, Macron provided information that the agreements signed today include the renewal of the Greek army's MICA-type missiles by the company MBDA.

Referring to Article 42 of the Lisbon Treaty, one of the founding treaties of the European Union (EU), which concerns the assistance of member states to each other in the field of defense, Macron commented, "I can say that for Greece and France, paragraph 7 of Article 42 is like concrete. This means it is an obligation, and we are here."

The French President assessed, "Greece and France also have this in common: We have always thought bigger than the borders of our countries and we want to continue to think so," arguing that they would stand by Greece no matter what.

Macron emphasized that they have never viewed the collaborations and partnerships they have established with different countries as an alternative to NATO, and stated that they would not take any step that would weaken NATO.

Touching upon the developments in the Middle East, Macron said, "In the face of the situation we know in the Middle East, both Greece and we call for the restoration of peace and the maintenance of a ceasefire that also includes Lebanon."

Macron expressed that they want diplomatic negotiations to continue and the Strait of Hormuz to be reopened peacefully.

"THERE IS A NEED FOR A EUROPEAN POLICY"

Mitsotakis, on the other hand, recalled the Rafale fighter jets and Belharra-class frigates that Greece had previously purchased from France, and pointed out that today they also made an agreement regarding the updating of the French-made MICA missiles used in Rafale fighter jets.

The Greek Prime Minister argued that all of this strengthens both his country's borders and European borders, and claimed that both France and Greece possessing Belharra-class frigates is an advantage for both countries in terms of the modernization stages of the frigates and the exchange of technical knowledge.

Stating his belief that the defense cooperation between the two countries will also strengthen NATO, Mitsotakis said, "Developments in the north, east, south, and here in the Southeastern Mediterranean directly affect Europe's security. For this reason, there is a need for a long-term, genuine European policy, but we also know that we cannot have strategic autonomy without a competitive Europe."

Mitsotakis stated that they also discussed the developments in the Middle East during his meeting with Macron, and expressed his opinion that passage through the Strait of Hormuz should be free and not subject to any payment.

News Source: 12punto