Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed that the Balkans is a fragile region and “it is necessary to keep alive its European perspective.”
Greece begins cooperation with the United States on the acquisition of unobtrusive multifunctional fighter-bombers of the fifth generation, developed by the American company Lockheed Martin. This was announced by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during a joint press conference with U.S. President Joe Biden after their talks at the White House. The statements of the parties were broadcast by the Greek TV channel ERT News with translation into Greek.
“We will continue our long-term cooperation between our defense industries, we will start cooperation on the acquisition of the F-35,” Mitsotakis said. “I hope that we will be able to add this fantastic aircraft to the arsenal of our armed forces. I am happy that on Friday Lockheed Martin officially expressed its interest in investing in the Greek industry.”
The Prime Minister stressed that the Balkans is a fragile region and “it is necessary to keep alive its European perspective.” “Greece is a pillar for regional prosperity and security,” Mitsotakis said. “We are looking for peaceful ways to resolve our differences with our neighbors. We place great emphasis on the “three plus one” scheme [of cooperation in the format], which unites the United States with Greece, Cyprus and Israel. And at the same time, we will continue to invest in our armed forces, making it clear that we will not tolerate any violation of our territorial integrity and our rights. However, we are doing this not only to strengthen Greece, but also to strengthen NATO’s southeastern flank.”
The head of the Greek government said that the relations between Greece and the United States go beyond history and touch upon issues of defense, security, trade, technology, cultural exchanges. “We have a lot of mutual benefits,” Mitsotakis said.
