In recent years, France has been the country with which Greece has cooperated the most in the field of defense among European countries. In this case, the fact that Paris wanted to realize its ambitions in the Eastern Mediterranean through the Athens administration played a decisive role. In this context, the joint actions of the two countries in the Eastern Mediterranean have led to the establishment of a special relationship between the parties. In this sense, the basis of the partnership between the two countries is cooperation in the field of defense.
As a matter of fact, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu paid a visit to Athens on February 23, 2023. During the visit, Lecornu met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The focus of the meeting was on the construction of the Belharra frigate in Greece and the Strategic Defence Agreement signed between Greece and France in 2021.[1]
However, in February 2022, the Greek Parliament authorized the Government of Mitsotakis to purchase Belharra-class frigates worth 3 billion euros from France. The agreement signed between Athens and Paris includes the purchase of three frigates and six Rafale fighter jets, totaling more than 4.4 billion euros. These frigates are expected to be delivered to Greece in 2026.[2]
Therefore, the meeting between the parties symbolizes the confirmation of the partnership between the two countries in the field of defense. France exports significant arms to Greece. This makes the Paris administration’s approach to Athens even more special. In recent years, Greece has been an important customer of France’s arms market. Greece has purchased frigate warships from France as well as Rafale fighter jets. Greece’s preference for Rafale fighter jets can be interpreted as a complete lack of trust in the United States (US) or that it is trying to secure itself more.
In addition to purchasing frigates from France, Greece also ordered corvettes from Italy. In this context, it can be said that the “defense” dimension predominates in Athens’ relations with Paris and Rome. In other words, it can be stated that Greece does not want to remain dependent on a single actor at the point of armament. Moreover, Greece is trying to integrate Paris into its security policy by purchasing fighter jets from France.
On the other hand, France stands out as the most important country in the defense field of the bloc within the EU. Emmanuel Macron, who became the President of France in 2017, advocates the creation of a European Army in order to defend the EU against actors such as Russia, China and the US.[3] In this context, Germany stands out with its economic power in the EU, while France is the key actor in the field of defense. Therefore, for Greece, developing cooperation with the EU’s most important country in the field of defence does not only mean the development of bilateral relations. In other words, it can be interpreted that the relations on the France-Greece line have deepened through cooperation in the field of defense and that this has an EU dimension.
Furthermore, the defense agreement signed between France and Greece in 2021 was described as the first step in Europe’s achievement of strategic autonomy. Because the agreement between the two countries provides for mutual assistance in case one of the parties is attacked by a third country, even if it is a member of NATO.[4] In this respect, it can be argued that France sees Greece as an important partner in the context of the European Army. In addition, it can be said that France’s aim is to prevent Washington’s relations with Athens, which it considers to be damaging Europe’s strategic autonomy by drawing Greece to its side.
Behind Macron’s overt support for Greece by ignoring the geopolitical realities in the Eastern Mediterranean, the French President’s desire to position himself as a key actor in the sovereignty of Europe plays a decisive role.
On the other hand, another factor that is effective in the development of the partnership between the two countries is the cooperation in the field of energy. In this context, the recently increased cooperation on the Athens-Paris line can be explained by France’s economic and energy interests in the Eastern Mediterranean. Therefore, it can be considered that France wants to use Greece as a proxy actor to realize its own ambitions in the region.
Consequently, through increased defence cooperation between Athens and Paris, France has become one of the countries that Greece relies most on when shaping its own security policy. That is why a strategic cooperation between the parties has developed in recent years. It can be said that the relations between France and Greece will continue to deepen and the parties will maintain to take steps to increase cooperation in the field of defense. As a reflection of this, Greece will continue to buy weapons from France and accelerate its attempts to integrate Paris into its own defense policy.
[1] “Greece’s Prime Minister Meets with Defence Minister of France”, The Greek Herald, https://greekherald.com.au/news/greeces-prime-minister-meets-with-defence-minister-of-france/, (Date of Accession: 25.02.2023).
[2] Ibid.
[3] “Macron Calls for ‘True European Army’ to Defend Against Russia, US, China”, Euractiv, https://www.euractiv.com/section/defence-and-security/news/macron-calls-for-european-army-to-defend-against-russia-us-china/, (Date of Accession: 25.02.2023).
[4] “France and Greece Take First Step Towards EU Force in NATO”, Euractiv, https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/short_news/france-and-greece-take-first-step-for-eu/, (Date of Accession: 25.02.2023).
