Greek and French defense ministers visit French frigate 'Alsace' docked at Piraeus port
National Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu paid a visit to the French frigate 'Alsace' docked at Piraeus port on Holy Monday afternoon.
Dendias said it was "a great joy and honor" to visit to visit the frigate, and thanked Lecornu personally for his presence at Piraeus, and for "what this stands for, symbolically."
During the visit, the Greek minister was briefed on the frigate's role in the Red Sea in the framework of the EU operation 'Aspides', which he noted "is under Greek command", and highlighted the fact that the Greek command and the French frigate had successfully shot down missiles and drones of the Houthi, "something extremely significant for the safety of global shipping." Dendias said it was very important that Greece, France - a great maritime nation - and other countries like Cyprus and Italy contribute to the 'Aspides' operation.
Dendias said, "The procurement of three Belharra frigates, and a fourth one whose proposal I hope the National Security Council (KYSEA) will accept, will provide even greater depth to the cooperation between the Greek and French Navies, among Greek and French Armed Forces." Along with the Rafale jets, Greece can have a wide range of shared systems that can be used jointly for the security of European citizens and the security and stability of the East Mediterranean, he said. In addition, France respects international law and its support against "any threat Greece faces is a very important factor for us."
Lecornu
On his side, Lecornu noted that the strategic relation between Greece and France is not limited to the sale of armaments, but extends to the framework of interoperability. "Greece is for us one of our most important naval partners in all our operations," and "very frequently, the aircraft carrier 'Charles de Gaulle' is escorted by Greek ships," Lecornu said, referring to the carrier visiting Faliron Bay, on its way back from an Indo-Pacific mission.
As to the issue of safe passage at the Red Sea, Lecornu noted that "the European operational program 'Aspides' is an operation of European scope that is mainly based on Italian, French, and Greek ships to guarantee free shipping in the Red Sea."
The French minister said both countries were nations with great traditions in naval trade and therefore it was obvious that security in the East Mediterranean "is one of our great concerns, and this is connected to security at the Suez Canal."
Lecornu also noted, "We often speak of our ships but do not speak enough of our sailors." The officers of the navies of both countries have a very close relationship in the way they plan their operations and their cooperation in general, he said. The same holds for the pilots flying the Rafale jets, he added.
At a ceremony on the 'Alsace' frigate's deck, the French minister presented Hellenic Navy General Staff chief Vice Admiral Dimitrios-Eleftherios Kataras and Hellenic Air Force General Staff chief Air Marshal Dimosthenis Grigoriadis with the medal of the Legion of Honor.
Earlier in the day, Dendias and Lecornu met privately at the National Defense Ministry. Their meeting was followed by extended talks between the Greek and French delegations. Attending the talks were Deputy Minister and Secretary General of the Defense Ministry, Hellenic National Defense General Staff chief General Dimitrios Choupis, and the chiefs of the general staffs for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
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