The standoff between Greece and Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean can potentially give rise to an imbroglio within the European Union, against the backdrop of the sale of military buildings to the two countries.
Less than two weeks after the announcement of the fiasco of the submarines sold to Australia, whose contract was unilaterally broken by the Australians, France announced Tuesday, September 28 an export success for the national manufacturer Naval Group with Greece’s order for 3 latest generation frigates. The ambition is to restore a favorable balance of power in the eastern Mediterranean. With these three defense and intervention frigates (FDI), Greece is restoring a little balance with the Turkish navy in front of which it multiplies the circles in the water. In the long term, the Greeks will have 16 frigates, on a par with the Turkish navy at least as regards this type of vessel. Over the past two years, the Greek-Turkish face-to-face has taken an increasingly offensive turn, two warships even collided in August 2020.
The Turkish navy has been working hard on equipment, increasing orders for ships and Greece is struggling to keep up even with doubling its defense equipment budget this year.
This order for three French ships by Greece was presented by France as a strengthening of the means of “European sovereignty” in the eastern Mediterranean. And all the more so since beyond the sale of these frigates, Paris also announced the signing of a bilateral alliance between the two countries. Clearly if Greece entered into a military conflict – for example with Turkey – France would fly and sail to its aid immediately, in turn initiating hostilities against the Greeks’ adversary. Such an obligation of military assistance is already at the heart of the Atlantic Alliance, NATO, of which both countries are part. As Turkey is also a member of NATO, it too could well invoke the obligation of aid from other countries, if it came into conflict … with anyone.
The France-Greece agreement therefore aims to build the embryo of a more closely “European” alliance. Except that in this matter nothing is simple: the other European countries are not all clearly lined up behind Greece. As much as France has clearly, so to speak, “chosen its camp”, the Italians, the Spaniards and the Germans are much less advanced on the subject. The Germans in particular who have other interests: in Turkey precisely!
At the same time that France and Greece finalized their agreement for the delivery of these three frigates – the first to be delivered in 2025 – Turkey and Germany signed another military equipment contract: Germany supplying Turkey with six submarines brand new. The first will be integrated into the Ankara fleet next year.
When all these ships are operational, we can therefore observe in the eastern Mediterranean a new very “European” face-to-face with French-made frigates armed by the Greeks, hunting down German submarines armed by the Turks. With, in total, a beautiful imbroglio – typically European, some would say.