A Greek government spokesman announced that Athens will send some of its Patriot defense missiles to Saudi Arabia, as part of a joint initiative between the United States, France and Britain.
Government spokesman Stelios Pitsas added that Greece will deploy the missiles at the expense of Saudi Arabia to protect installations and infrastructure related to the energy sector, and that the aim of these missiles is to protect energy installations and consolidate Greek-Saudi relations.
Pitsas said the deployment of these missiles contributes to protecting the security of energy sources, enhances our country's image as a catalyst for regional stability and strengthens our relationship with Saudi Arabia, adding that talks on this step started in October.
He pointed out that the United States, Britain and France are part of this initiative, which Italy may also join, stressing that 130 Greek soldiers will accompany the deployment of this defense system "which does not constitute a threat to other countries in the region."
The announcement comes as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is touring the Middle East for talks on investment with the Saudi and UAE governments.
The Greek opposition parties condemned the move as a dangerous "adventure", and European Representative Dimitris Papadimoulis wrote in a tweet, "This will constitute a Greek military presence outside the Mediterranean region for the first time in decades."
The Greek parliament last week approved an amendment to the military cooperation agreement with the United States, permitting the US military to use Greek military facilities.