Macron Heads to Athens to Renew Defense Pact, Expand Industrial Ties

French President Emmanuel Macron is acceptable to sojourn Athens connected April 24-25 to renew a landmark defence and information statement with Greece and broaden subject practice betwixt the 2 allies, officials said.

The sojourn volition halfway connected extending the bilateral strategical concern signed successful 2021, which is owed to expire aboriginal this year. 

The accord has underpinned person subject ties betwixt the 2 NATO members astatine a clip of heightened tensions successful Europe and the eastbound Mediterranean.

Officials accidental the renewed model is expected to beryllium paired with a abstracted memorandum oregon annex focused connected defence innovation, linking Greece’s recently created defence innovation halfway with France’s Defense Innovation Agency.

 France helped animate the operation of the Greek agency, underscoring the extent of the 2 countries’ subject cooperation.

Mr. Macron’s travel follows a trilateral gathering successful March with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, wherever the leaders discussed determination stability, maritime information and rising tensions successful the Middle East.

The Athens talks are expected to physique connected that agenda, with some sides aiming to deepen defence manufacture practice arsenic good arsenic strategical coordination. 

For Athens, the sojourn is besides meant to reenforce its relation successful Europe’s southeastern information architecture.

The renewed pact would sphere 1 of Greece’s astir important defence partnerships portion signaling a further displacement from arms income unsocial toward shared exertion and semipermanent concern collaboration.