Greek authorities appear to be irked by the recent deal of Turkish drone producer Baykar acquiring Italian defense giant Piaggio Aerospace and are reportedly preparing a formal protest against Italy over the defense agreement, a top Greek daily said Monday.
At the same time, Türkiye’s western neighbor is also questioning the possible sale of Meteor missiles to Ankara, Greek media reported on Monday.
Greece will protest Italy for approving the sale of Piaggio Aerospace to Türkiye’s Baykar, arguing that Rome bypassed European regulations by approving the sale without notifying EU partners, the report by the Greek daily Kathimerini indicated. The report was also quoted by Italian news agency Ansa.
The deal for acquisition was approved late last year and a preliminary contract between Baykar and Piaggio Aerospace for the transfer of the business complexes was signed last month.
Piaggio Aerospace – unconnected to Vespa scooter maker Piaggio – had been under government-controlled special administration since filing for protection from creditors in 2018.
Baykar’s offer for the company had been preferred over two other final and binding bids from international players, Italy’s Industry Ministry said.
It was deemed the “most suited to guarantee the interests of workers and creditors (of Piaggio Aerospace) and relaunch the group’s industrial prospects,” it said.
Yet, Greek officials insist that European defense cooperation must be transparent, especially when it involves Türkiye, according to the Greek daily.
Türkiye, a NATO member has bolstered its defense industry significantly in recent years, curbing its foreign dependence and advancing in domestic development and production of a range of products from drones, armored vehicles, naval frigates, aircraft-carrier and unmanned jets.
Underlining that many European countries apart from Italy – including Spain and the U.K. – maintain significant defense cooperation with Türkiye despite opposition from Athens, Kathimerini said: “Greece’s protest highlights broader EU tensions over arms sales and defense cooperation with Turkey.”
“Italian aerospace giant Leonardo is reportedly seeking deeper collaboration with Baykar on unmanned aerial vehicles, further fueling Greek concerns over unchecked European defense deals with Ankara,” it added.
The daily also appeared to raise concerns related to other EU members, including Germany, mentioning the potential deal for the acquisition of Eurofighter jets by Türkiye.
“Germany, for instance, has an ongoing 2.5 billion euro ($2.58 billion) deal to deliver six Type 214 submarines. Berlin has also allowed negotiations on the sale of 40 Eurofighter jets to Turkey, although no final agreement has been reached,” it said.
Meteor missiles
Moreover, Greece on Monday again questioned the possible sale of Meteor air-to-air missiles to Türkiye by a European consortium including France, according to Greek media.
Speaking on the sidelines of an AI summit in Paris, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed their convergence on issues of the Eastern Mediterranean, as well as their common approach regarding the latest developments in the Middle East, with a particular focus on Syria, public broadcaster ERT said.
During the meeting, which lasted around an hour, the leaders also discussed strengthening strategic cooperation, with Mitsotakis raising with the French president for the second time in a few days the issue of a possible sale of Meteor missiles to Türkiye, it added.
In a statement on the meeting between Macron and Mitsotakis, the French President’s Office said the EU strategy on AI was the first topic they discussed.
The leaders also discussed accelerating the implementation of the European competitiveness agenda following the Mario Draghi report and the EU Competitiveness Compass, according to the statement.
Making no mention of the missile issue, the statement said Macron affirmed to Mitsotakis “France’s commitment to the Franco-Hellenic strategic partnership as well as to the security of Greece.”
Support for embattled Ukraine as the war approaches its third anniversary and the latest developments in the Middle East were also addressed in the meeting, it added.
In its efforts to bolster its air defense, Türkiye is already engaged in negotiations to buy up to 40 EF-2000 Eurofighter jets to keep its air force updated in the face of growing regional threats.
Air-to-air Meteor missiles are reportedly included in the package linked with Eurofighter jets Türkiye is negotiating for.
Greece, which stepped up its arms purchase in recent years, including the modernization of its F-16 fleet and the purchase of French-made Rafale jets, with Meteor missiles, opposes any sale of the missiles of Türkiye.
On Jan. 29, Defense Minister Nikos Dendias announced that he had summoned the French ambassador and military attache in Athens to underline the country’s strong opposition to the sale.
On Feb. 4, according to the Greek media, Mitsotakis requested details from Macron on the negotiations for the sale of missiles to Türkiye when they met on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels.
On Friday, Turkish sources said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had a phone call with Macron and discussed improving bilateral relations and cooperation, among other topics.
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