▲Kyriakos Mitsotakis (left), Prime Minister of Greece, and Emmanuel Macron (right), President of France [Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]
[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Military closeness between Greece and France, who are in conflict with Turkey, is becoming visible.
According to major foreign media on the 7th (local time), the Greek parliament ratified the 'Strategic Military and Defense Cooperation Agreement' signed with France on the same day. Out of 300 total members, 191 voted in favor and 109 against.
The agreement includes provisions for mutual military assistance in case of external attacks.
This is widely analyzed as being aimed at Turkey, Greece's Mediterranean 'angsu' (archenemy).
Before the parliamentary vote, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized, "This is the first time that military assistance from a third country in case of armed conflict has been codified," adding, "We all know well which country is provoking conflicts in the Mediterranean."
Greece was occupied by the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of Turkey, at the end of the 15th century and only achieved independence in the early 19th century. Since then, the two countries have clashed in several wars.
Although both are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), a military alliance system across both sides of the Atlantic, the hostility between them does not seem to be easily resolved.
Recently, a tense situation nearly escalated into armed conflict over exclusive economic zone issues.
Amid this, Greece has been continuously strengthening military cooperation with France to counter Turkey.
In the past year, Greece ordered 24 French-made Rafale fighter jets and announced at the end of last month the introduction of three frigates worth 3 billion euros (approximately 4.1593 trillion won), increasing its dependence on French weapons.
It is analyzed that France has its own intention to use Greece as a foothold to enhance its military weight and status within the EU.
Turkey shows a strong reaction to the clear military closeness between Greece and France aimed at itself.
On the 1st of this month, immediately after the military agreement between the two countries was made public, the Turkish foreign ministry issued a statement publicly warning, "Greece's military buildup and Turkey isolation and exclusion policies threaten regional peace and stability and will weaken not only Greece itself but also the European Union (EU)."
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