ATHENS: Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday announced a “robust” arms purchase programme and an overhaul of the country’s military amid rising tension with Turkey in the eastern Mediterranean.
“The time has come to reinforce the armed forces…these initiatives constitute a robust programme that will become a national shield,” Mitsotakis said in a keynote address in the northern city of Thessaloniki.
Mitsotakis said Greece would acquire 18 French-made Rafale fighter jets four multi-purpose frigates and four navy helicopters, while also recruiting 15,000 new troops and pouring resources into the national arms industry and cyber-attack defence.
New anti-tank weapons, navy torpedoes and air force missiles will be secured, Mitsotakis said. The initiative, which includes upgrades of another existing four frigates, is also designed to create thousands of jobs, he said.
Mitsotakis is believed to have hammered out the programme announced on Saturday after talks with French President Emmanuel Macron during a southern European leaders summit in Corsica this week.