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Greece has sent an official request to the United States for the purchase of 20 F-35 fighter jets from the American company Lockheed Martin.
This official move by Athens was announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis himself, who justified it with the need to strengthen the country’s defense capabilities amid ongoing tensions with Turkey.
“Part of this procedure is the sending of the official request, which happened in the last few days. This, however, is only the beginning of a long process, and the delivery of the first aircraft could happen sometime in 2027.”- Mitsotakis said.
Athens has already ordered 24 French-made Rafale fighter jets – six new and another 18 previously in service with the French Air Force – as well as three French frigates.
After coming dangerously close to armed conflict in the 2020s, it appeared that the differences between the parties, heated at the time by the search for hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean, were resolved. But friction between Greece and Turkey, two troublesome neighboring countries that are both NATO members but have ongoing disagreements over a range of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea, continues.
At the heart of the latest clashes are the Greek islands off the coast of Turkey, with Ankara accusing Athens of maintaining a military presence there in breach of treaties. Greece does not back down, it insists that it is acting on an international basis and that it is protecting the islands in the face of Turkish hostility.
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