Defense Minister Nikos Dendias is set to host his French counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu, in Athens on April 14 for extended talks, marking a long-anticipated visit aimed at dispelling concerns over “strained relations” following reports of a potential sale of Meteor missiles to Turkey.
While both sides have kept the official agenda under wraps, it is widely expected that all pressing issues will be addressed. These include defense procurements, opportunities to bolster the Greek defense industry, and France’s support for preparatory survey work related to the Great Sea Interconnector, planned to link the electricity grids of Greece, Cyprus, and Israel.
In a move rich with symbolism, the two ministers are expected to visit the French frigate Alsace, which will be docked at the port of Piraeus. During Lecornu’s visit, the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will be anchored off the island of Kasos in the southeastern Aegean, a clear signal of French solidarity with Greece as the next phase of survey work on the GSI is planned to resume.
The waters off Kasos form part of the proposed survey route, an area where Turkey has previously attempted to obstruct Greek-led missions by deploying naval forces.
Monday’s talks will also cover the European initiative for the rearmament of EU member states. Athens is expected to underline that countries which illegally occupy EU territory and disregard international law cannot be part of a shared European defense framework – an implicit reference to Turkey and its continued occupation of Cyprus’ north since 1974.
This position is likely to be echoed in discussions surrounding the possible release of Meteor missiles to Turkey, with Greece expected to stress Ankara’s revisionist rhetoric and its persistent threat of escalation in the region.
In the lead-up to next week’s meeting, Lecornu stated, in early February, that the matter of the Meteor missiles was “not in France’s hands.” A few weeks later, Lecornu sent to Dendias a copy of a letter he had previously addressed to British Defense Secretary John Healey, in which he urged the UK to take Greece’s concerns into account regarding the potential sale of Eurofighter jets – equipped with Meteor missiles – to Turkey.
The upcoming Dendias-Lecornu meeting follows the unveiling of Greece’s 12-year Long-Term Defense Armaments Plan, valued at €25 billion.
On Thursday, Dendias will present the plan to a special parliamentary committee before its expected approval by the Government Council for National Security (KYSEA).