French President Emmanuel Macron’s repeated assurance that France “will be here” if Greek sovereignty is threatened set the tone for his visit to Athens and underlined the close climate between Greece and France.
Macron is due today to visit the frigate Kimon at 10 am with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the defence ministers of Greece and France, Nikos Dendias and Catherine Vautrin. The frigate is presented as a concrete example of close defence cooperation between the two countries.
Mitsotakis and Macron are then expected to meet at Maximos Mansion at 11.30 am, followed by the signing of agreements and statements to the media.
The renewal of the Greek-French Strategic Partnership Agreement on cooperation in defence and security, which includes a mutual defence assistance clause, is expected to be the first agreement signed. It will effectively seal the verbal assurance Macron gave on Wednesday.
France is seeking a stronger role in European defence, and its defence assistance agreement with Greece is seen as an important step in that direction, especially given Paris’ longstanding ties and interests in the wider Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East.
The agenda at Maximos Mansion is also expected to include freedom of navigation, with emphasis on the Strait of Hormuz. Economy, civil protection and the protection of minors online are also among the areas where the two sides are expected to show common ground through agreements.
The agenda reflects, at the bilateral level, the broader priorities facing the EU, as outlined by the two leaders during a discussion on Europe’s future with Kathimerini director Alexis Papahelas.
Macron described the changing international environment as an opportunity for Europe to demonstrate its capabilities and emerge as an alternative pole on the international stage.
Both Macron and Mitsotakis stressed that this would require action in specific areas, with priority given to strengthening European independence in defence, production, energy, technology and competitiveness.
Mitsotakis referred to the need to reduce energy costs in Europe and spoke of investment in nuclear energy, alongside renewable energy sources.
He had also referred to nuclear energy during his visit to Paris last March for the second Nuclear Energy Summit. With France having expertise in this field, it is now becoming one of the areas of cooperation between the two countries.