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Greece, France sign fighter jet deal amid tensions with Turkey

Athens' roughly $3 billion purchase of 18 Rafale fighter jets comes as Greek officials meet Turkish counterparts for exploratory talks to resolve disputes.

Al-Monitor Staff
Al-Monitor Staff
Jan 25, 2021
GettyImages-1230786479.jpg
French group Dassault Aviation Chief Executive Eric Trappier (2nd R), French Defense Minister Florence Parly (3rd L), Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos (L) and Chief of the Hellenic Air Force General Staff Lieutenant General Georgios Blioumis (3rd R) attend the signing for a Rafale warplane deal, at the Greek Ministry of Defense, on Jan. 25, 2021. Greece and France signed a 2.5-billion-euro ($3 billion) warplane deal on Jan. 25 as part of a burgeoning arms program to counter Turkish challenges over natural gas resources and naval influence in the Eastern Mediterranean. — LOUISA GOULIAMAKI/AFP via Getty Images

Greece’s defense minister signed a $3 billion deal to buy 18 Dassault Rafale fighter jets from France during a ceremony with his French counterpart in Athens on Monday. Six of the fighters will be new, while 12 are used.

The agreement is the latest sign of Greece’s growing defense ties with Paris as the Hellenic Armed Forces seek to modernize amid heightened tensions with neighboring Turkey.

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