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On Monday, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin met with Greek counterpart Nikolaos Panagiotopros to discuss the recent sale of F-35 fighters in the Aegean Sea and the eastern Mediterranean and the joint cooperation between the United States and Greece.
Tensions have increased in recent months between the two NATO countries as Turkey poses a series of threats to Greece.
Victoria Coates, a former Deputy National Security Adviser for the Middle East and North Africa, said of the conference: Hostile attitude, we will need more cooperation with Greece. “
Turkish Islamic Leader Using NATO to Get Free Hands and Punish US Allies
According to the Associated Press, Greece and Turkey have strained relations on a number of issues, including claims of competing maritime boundaries affecting energy exploration rights on the eastern Mediterranean coast. Tensions increased in 2020 over exploratory drilling rights in the Mediterranean region, where Greece and Cyprus claim their own exclusive economic zone, leading to a Navy stand-off.
Turkey also claims that Greece violates international agreements by militarizing the islands of the Aegean Sea. Athens states that the islands, many of which are near the Turkish coast, need to be protected from potential attacks using Turkey’s large military landing craft.
In a large-scale military exercise last month, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, “I call on Greece to discontinue equipment on islands in civilian status and act in accordance with international agreements, according to media reports. I’m not kidding, I’m serious. This country is determined. If I say something, I’ll obey it. “
In May, Prime Minister Erdogan said he would stop talking to Greek Prime Minister Kiriakos Mitsutakis for persuading Washington not to sell F-16 fighters to Turks while traveling to the United States.
“The defense relations between the United States and Greece are stronger than ever,” Austin said in a press conference on Monday, especially thanks to Greece for hosting US Navy support operations in the defense-critical Suda Bay. I will do it. “
His Greek respondents said that Greece “reaffirmed the importance of a strong, profound and growing social strategic defense partnership between the United States and Greece” and “two of the 2019 Mutual Defense Cooperation Agreements.” “Update” was emphasized.
In particular, Minister Panagiotopoulos said of the sale of the F-35 fighter to the Greek army: Closer interaction, coordination and interoperability between Greek and US troops. “
Eldgan shatters NATO unit amidoptin threat to European security
The sale of US fighters to Turkey has been controversial in recent years as Erdogan commits Turkish troops to the battle in Syria at the expense of a good fight against US allies and profits. Erdogan threatened to prevent Sweden and Finland from joining NATO, with limited intervention and a raid on northern Iraq. As a result, the US House of Representatives recently added new obstacles to its plans to sell Biden’s F-16 fighters to Turkey.
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Turkey faced intense criticism from the Trump administration and lawmakers when it purchased Russia’s S-400 missile defense system, which led to US sanctions in 2020. Ensure security and endanger information sharing between the United States and Turkey.
“Greek Defense Ministers are likely to look for a guarantee from the U.S. government that they will not sell F-16s to Turkey without a stronger guarantee from Turkey. Turkey’s jet aircraft will not continue to violate airspace.” Said Sinan Sidi. A senior non-resident researcher at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies focusing on Turkey’s domestic politics and foreign policy. “Without this, Greece is likely to try to pressure the Biden administration not to support the sale of the F-16 to Turkey.”
Associated Press Contributed to this article.