Greece to buy French warships in boost for EU defence
France and Greece signed Tuesday a multibillion-euro deal for Athens to buy three French warships, an accord hailed by President Emmanuel Macron as a major boost for the EU's defence ambitions.
The memorandum of understanding for the purchase of the Belharra frigates was inked less than two weeks after Paris was left reeling by Australia's cancellation of a contract to buy French submarines, in favour of a new defence pact with Britain and the US.
Macron said after meeting Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Elysee Palace that Greece would buy the three frigates from France to cement a deeper "strategic partnership" between the two countries to defend their shared interests in the Mediterranean.
Video: AFP
The deal marks "an audacious first step towards European strategic autonomy", Macron said.
"Europeans must stop being naive" regarding geopolitical competition, Macron added, in particular as Washington increasingly takes a go-it-alone approach with regards to its EU allies.
"We're being asked to take more responsibility for our own protection; I believe this is a legitimate request, therefore it's up to us to do so," he said.
He called Athens' decision to buy the...