France and Greece to cooperate more closely on defence and security issues in the future, the two countries said as they signed a strategic treaty at a ceremony in Paris on Tuesday.
French President, Emmanuel Macron, and Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, in a joint statement, said the agreement marked the expansion of an already existing alliance.
The agreement also pointed towards greater EU independence in both military and foreign policy terms.
Macron said the partnership would have significant geopolitical consequences, particularly in the eastern Mediterranean.
He said the eastern Mediterranean is where the European interests is, particularly with regard to energy and are considerable.
Macron recalled that in 2020 France demonstrated its solidarity with Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean, adding that the agreement just a consolidation of that support.
In the summer of 2020, Greece and Turkey found themselves on the verge of military confrontation due to a row about newly discovered natural gas deposits in the eastern Mediterranean.
Since the French voiced their support for Greece in the dispute in 2020, Athens has ordered 24 Rafale fighter-bombers from France.
Greece also placed orders for three French frigates, as part of the agreement.
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Mitsotakis said that military cooperation with Paris was not only bilateral but will also pave way for a strong, autonomous EU.
The agreement between the two countries came two weeks after the announcement of a new security alliance between the U.S., Britain and Australia in the Indo-Pacific.
It was also accompanied by the collapse of a multibillion-dollar submarine deal between France and Australia.
France, which is committed to stronger European defence, has since been trying to make headway on the issue.
Macron warned that Europe would be making a terrible mistake if it did not learn lessons from U.S. behaviour in recent years and begin to take steps to ensure its own protection.
