Greece's recent rapid increase in defense investments has once again brought questions about Athens' long-term military plans to the forefront.
Modern.az reports that Greece has signed an agreement with Italy for the purchase of two combat frigates. The agreement was signed by the defense ministers of the two countries. The total value of the two Bergamini-class frigates is reported to be 500 million euros. One of the ships is intended for general-purpose tasks, while the other is designed for anti-submarine warfare.
In addition, Athens has also ordered 4 “Belharra” class frigates from France. Greece's rearmament program is not limited to this. Athens plans to spend approximately 28 billion euros on updating its defense and military equipment by 2036. Last month, Greece signed a 3 billion euro agreement with Israel for the purchase of an air and missile defense system. The system in question is the “Achilles Shield” system.
All of this is happening at a time when Greece is facing economic difficulties. For this reason, Athens' significant increase in defense spending is leading to discussions about the country's future military strategy.
The main question, however, is Turkey
Although Greece and Turkey are NATO members, there have been a number of serious disagreements between the two countries for many years. Territorial and maritime borders in the Aegean Sea, airspace, the Cyprus issue, and energy resources in the Mediterranean are among the most sensitive topics in relations between Ankara and Athens. In recent years, the energy factor has also been added to this rivalry.
The discovery of large oil and natural gas reserves in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially around Cyprus, has further intensified geopolitical competition in the region. We are talking about energy fields with a potential value measured in hundreds of billions of dollars.
The main issue here is not only who owns the fields themselves. The delimitation of maritime borders, the division of economic zones, and control over energy routes are also issues where Ankara and Athens clash. On the other hand, Greece's expansion of military cooperation with Israel also draws attention. Against the backdrop of long-standing strained Israel-Turkey relations, the rapprochement in the defense sector between Athens and Tel Aviv is also being monitored by Ankara.
Nevertheless, the 28 billion euro rearmament program, new frigates, the air-missile defense system, and the expansion of military cooperation with Israel indicate that Greece is seriously preparing to increase its military capabilities in the region. Thus, the question can be discussed more around “Is Athens trying to increase its military superiority in a possible future confrontation?” rather than “Will Greece start a war with Turkey?”
As competition continues around energy resources, maritime borders, and geopolitical alliances in the Eastern Mediterranean, the possibility of the military factor gaining even more weight in Ankara-Athens relations cannot be ruled out.
