France is ready to allocate a portion of the construction of four new generation frigates to Greece, should the latter select the Belharra-class vessels for the Hellenic Navy, French Minister of Defense Florence Parly confirmed this week.
The French minister made the statement in an interview to the Athens-daily Kathimerini, and coinciding with the very high-profile purchase by Greece of 18 Dassault-made Rafale fighter planes – both new and units in the current French inventory.
Additionally, Parly said bilateral talks continue on framing a new and more wide-ranging mutual security agreement. With a view to the so-called “elephant in the room” in the wider region, namely, Turkey and the increasingly belligerent Erdogan regime, she added: “We will be unwavering towards the issue of respect of international law.”
Finally, the French minister revealed that the Hellenic Air Force will be one of the participating forces in the multinational military exercise “Skyros”, which will cover an area from the Aegean, to the UAE and on to India. Additionally, a Hellenic Navy frigate will be included in the task force accompanying the French aircraft carrier and French Navy flagship Charles de Gaulle.
