France sells frigates to Greece for three billion euros, after Australian fiasco – franceinfo

The three defense and intervention frigates (called Belharra for export) will be built in France by Naval Group in Lorient (Morbihan), to be delivered to the Greek navy in 2025 and 2026. The agreement also includes a fourth optional frigate. The amount of the contract to be signed “by the end of the year” is “of the order of three billion euros”, according to the French Ministry of the Armed Forces. In addition to the ships, it includes the supply of their armaments and support services over three years.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed that this agreement answered “needs to” from Greece, which is stepping up its weapons program to counter Turkish provocations in the eastern Mediterranean. France is one of the few EU countries to have publicly protested against these incursions in recent years. “Our two countries have developed a very powerful alliance that goes beyond our mutual obligations” with regard to the EU and NATO, welcomed the Greek Prime Minister.

The strategic agreement in fact provides for a mutual assistance clause by “all appropriate means” if the two countries “jointly note that an armed aggression occurs against the territory” of one of the two, according to the spokesperson for the French Ministry of the Armed Forces, Hervé Grandjean. Earlier this month, Greece had already announced its intention to acquire six additional French Rafale fighters, in addition to a previous contract at 2.5 billion euros, signed in January, for 12 used Rafale and six nines.