PM eyes consensus on France deal
The conservative government plans to seek parliamentary approval for Greece’s defense deal with France as early as next week, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Wednesday.
In a meeting with President Katerina Sakellaropoulou after Greece sealed a deal for French frigates worth about 3 billion euros, Mitsotakis said he expected that the agreement would draw support from all mainstream parties.
“The deal marks a significant national legacy for the country, it goes beyond the boundaries of partisan confrontation and enables the country to play a leading role not only in the Eastern Mediterranean but, more broadly, in the debate about Europe’s strategic autonomy,” he said.
While hailing the deal as a step closer to Europe’s “strategic autonomy,” Sakellaropoulou added that “no one questions the role of NATO and [Greece’s] membership [of the alliance].
