Greece and France reaffirmed their strategic defense partnership on Thursday, with both sides pledging to renew their bilateral defense agreement later this year, during a high-profile meeting at the Salamis Naval Base, west of Athens. A partnership rooted in the 2021 agreementThe strategic partnership between Greece and France was originally signed in 2021, against the backdrop of heightened tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean following the crisis involving Turkey’s research vessel Oruc Reis. Speaking aboard the Kimon, Dendias said the frigate represents “the most emblematic culmination” of the strategic cooperation between Athens and Paris. He noted that Greece already operates a substantial inventory of French-made defense systems and remains committed to strengthening Europe’s security role in complementarity with NATO. She stressed that European taxpayers’ money should support defense systems produced in Europe, strengthening both sovereignty and economic growth.