Greece's new armament programme reverses the geopolitical situation in the region and creates a new balance of power, as it will essentially constitute a strong deterrent force, in response to Turkey's revisionist strategy, which challenges international law, the sovereignty and sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus, retired Lieutenant General Andreas Pendaras told the Cyprus News Agency, when asked about the significance of the arrival of six Rafale fighter jets in Greece today, as part of the Greece-France defence agreement.
This is a historic day not only for Greece but for Hellenism in general, including, of course, Cyprus. This is because the implementation of a giant armament program of Greece, worth about 12 billion euros, has begun, with the completion of which the Greek armed forces will be reinforced with state-of-the-art equipment in the army, navy and air force, and will be modernized, Pendaras told the Cyprus News Agency.
He added that Cyprus is also included in this effort, because the ties between Greece and Cyprus are well known. Particularly in the military sector, there are agreements between Cyprus and Greece and with the new weapons systems that Greece is acquiring, because of their capabilities they can operate in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Cyprus is located, and defend the territorial integrity, sovereignty and sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus, he said.
Pendaras noted that with this new armament program of Greece, the geopolitical data in the region will be reversed as we know it today with Turkey's exercise of a revisionist policy for the abrogation of the Treaties, for the Blue Homeland, for rights in the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus, for the demilitarization of the Aegean islands, etc. This strategy I am sure and you will see that it will be reversed, he said.
He said that the purpose of the armed forces is deterrence, that is, through force to prevent the opponent from attempting anything. And this is the purpose of this giant armament program of Greece, he noted.
He pointed out that Turkey is attempting everything it attempts based on its military power, particularly in the navy and air force, noting that Greece with this armament program will essentially challenge Turkey's power both at sea and in the air, will have full air supremacy and naval supremacy, so that Turkey will be deterred from attempting what it has been doing so far in the Aegean, and particularly to us here in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Asked whether a new balance of power is being created, Pentaras replied: Of course.With the completion of the armament program, Greece will have what we call in military terminology air dominance both over the Aegean and in the Eastern Mediterranean, given that the Rafale aircraft have a range of 4,000 kilometers and have weapons systems with a range of up to 500 kilometers both in the air and on land.
Consequently, he noted, Greece will have superiority both at sea and in the air, and this will oblige Turkey to respect international law and to enter into talks to resolve the problem it has with Greece, which is the division of the continental shelf. I believe and hope and hope that this will also happen with Cyprus and that it will finally sit down at the negotiating table for a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, he added.
Pendaras also said that the defence agreement that Greece has signed with France means that an attack against one means an attack against the other. And it is in this context that this deterrent capability of Greece is created. It's not just weapons systems. It's foreign policy, it's the alliances that Greece has with other states, it's the domestic political situation and many other things. But the main thing is the armed forces, he added.
He also noted that there is a very close cooperation between Cyprus and France in the defense sector, noting that about 70% of the weapon systems that the National Guard has come from France.
He added that joint activities with France in the defence sector enhance personnel training, tactics, etc.
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