Greek PM praises US approval of F-35 sales deal to Athens
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The United States has approved an $8.6 billion F-35 sale deal to Greece, welcomed by Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
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Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis speaks at a panel discussion on migration in Athens, Greece, on Monday, January 8, 2024 (AP)
On Saturday, Greece's Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis flagged the approval of F-35 fighter jet sales to Athens.
The United States approved an $8.6 billion F-35 sale deal to Greece, as well as a separate $23 billion deal to sell F-16 warplanes to Turkey after Ankara ratified Sweden's NATO membership, the State Department announced.
"Today is an important day for our national defense and Greek diplomacy. Greece is officially on track to acquire up to 40 new generation F-35 combat planes," Mitsotakis said in a statement.
Mitsotakis also shared a letter sent to him from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, showing the extent of cooperation between their respective countries. In the letter, Blinken saluted Greece's initiatives to modernize its military capabilities and expressed hopes of strengthening military relations between both countries' armed forces.
The package deal also includes a reportedly "very large quantity of equipment" allocated to strengthen Greek armed forces' factions, including the coastguard service.
Frigates, C-130 cargo planes, tanks, armored vehicles, and more are included in the package.
Read more: US F-35 lagging behind Russian, Chinese counterparts
Turkey strikes the deals
This came briefly after Greece expressed interest in acquiring advanced F-35 fighter jets from the United States, the country's foreign minister said on Saturday.
Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis expressed appreciation for Greece's relations with Turkey in an interview with SKAI broadcaster. However, he emphasized the need to enhance the country's military capabilities by procuring F-35 fighter jets from the United States, referring to the US as a significant player in the region and a "superpower."
The move was bound by US law and was only greenlit following Turkey's ratification of Sweden's NATO bid.
On Wednesday, US media reported that US President Joe Biden sent a letter to lawmakers, notifying them of plans to sell F-16s to Turkey once Ankara completes the NATO ratification process for Sweden.
Athens opposed the sale of US F-16s to Ankara, due to a dispute over maritime borders in the eastern Mediterranean, which is rich in energy resources.
