Turkey renewed its criticism of the military agreement recently concluded by France and Greece, warning that it harms the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), of which the three countries are members.

Turkish Defense Minister, Hulusi Akar, said on the sidelines of his participation of the NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels today, that the agreement between Greece and France came even though "we are in NATO", and the search for external alliances is "detrimental to NATO and bilateral relations, and also undermines trust."

French President Emmanuel Macron and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the signing of a defense and security partnership agreement this month between the two countries, which includes the purchasing of 3 French war frigates by Athens.

Last month, the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly, revealed that Greece announced its intention to obtain six additional Rafale fighters from France, in addition to a previous request it submitted for 18 other fighters.

Parly previously visited Athens on January 25 of last year to sign a deal to sell the 18 aircrafts.

Turkish-European Tension

On the Greek side, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias earlier defended the latest military agreement, arguing that it protects the country from military threats and is based on shared values as it abides by international law. He also mentioned that it enhances Greece's presence in the European Union, the United Nations, France, and even NATO.

Tensions between Greece and Turkey escalated dramatically last year when Turkey began drilling for natural gas in what Greece claims is its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). 

The Turkish move to explore for gas in the eastern Mediterranean received great criticism from Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt, despite Ankara saying it is working to exploit energy resources in its own EEZ.