ATHENS, Greece — Greece signed a deal Monday to purchase anti-ship missiles from France as it seeks to bolster its defenses in a procurement program aimed mainly at addressing tensions with neighboring Turkey.
Greece's Defense Minister Nikos Dendias signed the agreement for the 16 Exocet missiles with his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu, who was on a one-day visit to Athens. The two did not disclose the cost of the deal.
It is the latest in a series of purchases of military equipment from France, with Greece having already bought two dozen Rafale warplanes and three Belharra-class frigates. Dendias said discussions are progressing for the addition of a fourth frigate, adding that France is also providing Greece with NH-90 military helicopters, and the two countries are also cooperating in innovations in the defense sector.
Although NATO allies, Greece and Turkey have long-standing disputes over boundaries in the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean that have brought them close to war several times in recent decades.
''Greece does not threaten, but is threatened,'' Dendias said in joint statements to the press with Lecornu. The two ministers did not take questions.
After their meeting, Lecornu and Dendias visited the French frigate Alsace, which is currently docked in Greece's main port of Piraeus. Lecornu also met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Greece and France signed a defense and security cooperation deal in 2021, which includes a mutual defense clause under which each would come to the other's aid in the event of an attack.
Athens has said it will spend 25 billion euros ($27 billion) over the next decade to adapt its military to evolving high-tech warfare technologies.
