Athens modernizes Greek military capabilities to deter Turkish pirates in Mediterranean

The language of force has become prominent in the ongoing
conflict in the eastern Mediterranean between Greece and Turkey. In flagrant
violation of international conventions, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
continues to pursue provocations in the Mediterranean in search of gas, which has
invited Athens to develop and strengthen its military and defense capabilities in
the eastern Mediterranean in preparation for a confrontation with Ankara and to
stop Turkey’s intransigence under Erdogan.
Developing military capabilities
Athens has begun to activate plans to develop its defense
capabilities in the country by purchasing many combat aircraft, helicopters and
frigates, in addition to new weapons systems, amid the tensions with Turkey in
the eastern Mediterranean due to the latter’s illegal gas exploration.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis decided to develop
Greece’s military capabilities during the annual State of the Economy speech. He
confirmed that Athens would receive 18 new French Rafale fighter jets to
replace its old Mirage 2000 fighters, and it would buy four navy helicopters
and four new frigates, while four more frigates are being renewed. He added
that the Greek forces will obtain new anti-tank weapons, new torpedoes and new
guided missiles, in addition to employing an additional 15,000 people over the
next five years.
Meanwhile, French Defense Minister Florence Parly welcomed
the Greek prime minister’s announcement of purchasing 18 Rafale aircraft,
stressing that this strengthens the link between the Greek and French armed
forces and will allow them to intensify their practical and strategic
cooperation. She added that a contract will be signed in the coming months.
Turkish threats unhelpful
After Turkey conducted live ammunition exercises between its
southern coast and northern Cyprus, Mitsotakis emphasized that Ankara is now
adding to the provocations in the Aegean Sea and undermining peace in the
entire Mediterranean. He noted that the Greek armed forces have been lacking
funding in recent years during the recession, but stressed that “the time has
come to strengthen the armed forces as a legacy of the country's security.”
Athens seeks to pressure the European Union to impose
sanctions on Turkey unless Ankara withdraws its exploration vessel Oruc Reis
from the eastern Mediterranean region, which Greece claims belongs to its
continental shelf.
The Greek government confirmed that Ankara has begun to
realize that its policy of threats is not useful, as Erdogan cannot confront
the civilized world. Greek Development Minister Adonis Georgiadis said in
televised statements that Turkey has begun to understand that this policy of
provocations does not lead them anywhere, noting that Athena sent a message to
Ankara that if it moves towards conflict, it will lose, but if it moves towards
peace and reconciliation, then it has good-faith interlocutors to find a
solution.
Greece and Turkey, which are nominal allies in NATO, have
deployed naval and air units to confirm their competing claims over energy
rights in the eastern Mediterranean. Turkish exploration and drilling ships
continue to explore for gas in the waters, while Greece and Cyprus are
demanding exclusive economic rights.
Returning back
The Turkish exploration ship Oruc Reis was sent with the
protection of a war fleet to the disputed region in the eastern Mediterranean
that is rich in natural gas, which has raised tensions with Greece. However,
the ship has returned to the port of Antalya in southern Turkey for the first
time in weeks after Ankara announced in July that the ship had been sent to
search for oil and gas in Greek waters. The Greek government confirmed that the
withdrawal of the Turkish drilling vessel from the Mediterranean waters is a
positive sign.
Turkish pro-government newspaper Yeni Safak said that the
authorities in Ankara did not extend the ship’s mission, which ended on
Saturday, September 12, adding that it had returned to the port of Antalya in
the south of the country. The newspaper stressed that the decision not to
extend the mission is a step to give diplomacy an opportunity, noting that this
is related to the attempts to launch talks between Greece and Turkey.
On the other hand, Mitsotakis considered the departure of
the Turkish exploration ship from the eastern Mediterranean to be a positive
step for Greek-Turkish relations, and he hopes for more positive steps to come
in the future.