Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday that a new defense agreement between Greece and France would allow the two countries to step up to the other in the event of an external threat.
"For the first time, a text explicitly says that there will be military assistance in the event of a third party aggression against either country," Mitsotakis told Greek lawmakers before a parliamentary vote on the accord today.
"And we all know who threatens who is threatening war in the Mediterranean," he added, referring to Turkey.
The two NATO countries signed a strategic military and defense cooperation agreement last month, and the agreement includes an order to purchase 3 French frigates worth about 3 billion euros.
Athens has already ordered about 24 Rafale combat aircraft this year.
Turkey's position
Ankara said in a statement on October 1 that Greece's demands to expand its territorial waters and airspace are contrary to international law, and increase Turkey's determination to protect its rights in the region.
"Greece's policy of arming and isolating and alienating Turkey instead of cooperating with it is a problematic policy, threatening peace and stability in the region, and undermining not only Greece but the European Union to which it belongs," Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tango Bilecik said at the time.
French officials were forced to say that the deal was not aimed at Turkey and was fully compatible with NATO.
"This is not an agreement directed against Turkey or any other party; it is an agreement in line with the common goal of Greece and France, which is to strengthen European sovereignty, including in the eastern Mediterranean where we have important interests," a French presidency official told reporters on September 28.
In June, the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously approved a bill providing for military supplies and training aid to Greece.
The project allows for new transfers of US military equipment to Greece, and reinforces the growing multilateral partnership between Cyprus, Greece, Israel and the United States.
According to the text of the bill, the urgent delivery of any future F-35 aircraft is allowed, and priority is given to the delivery of additional defense materials to Greece, like other countries and regions.