A meeting with his Turkish counterpart cannot be ruled out, says Greek defence minister

Speaking to Skai FM, he said such a meeting was more likely to occur in the earthquake-stricken areas of Türkiye – as Akar is spending considerable time in those crisis regions – although both countries are now going through a demanding pre-electoral period.

There definitely is a change in relations between Greece and Türkiye after the recent earthquakes there, he pointed out, and tensions have clearly subsided, but it is uncertain whether this change will be maintained or permanent.

Panagiotopoulos also mentioned that the 12th Rafale fighter jet has already landed at the Tanagra air force base, this being part of Greece’s procurement of Rafales from France.

In order to APE MPE

A Letter of Offer & Acceptance (LOA) about the F-35 jets is also expected from the United States soon, he noted, pending details about the defense industry’s participation in the deal, and the creation of infrastructure for the aircrafts’ reception in Greece.

In 2024, Greece will receive another three C-130 military transport aircraft, while a third C-27 transport aircraft will be delivered to Greece by year’s end, and a fourth early in 2024. With these, Greece will then have eight C-27s, noted the minister. He also noted that issues of delayed maintenance for the C-130s would be partly resolved through an Israeli company that will maintain three of them.