Greece to lease French warships amid Aegean tensions with Turkey
Greece will this summer lease two state-of-the-art French warships, the defence ministry said 20 April as Athens seeks to bolster its defences in the Aegean Sea amid growing tensions with Turkey.
Confirming a report by the daily Kathimerini, Greece’s deputy defence minister, Fotis Kouvelis, told Skai radio that France ‘has made two frigates available to us in a leasing agreement’.
The deal was finalised in a telephone call between Greek Prime Minister Alexs Tsipras and French President Emmanuel Macron, Kouvelis said.
According to the daily Kathimerini, Greece will lease two French FREMM-type navy frigates for a period of five years, with the vessels expected to be inducted into the Greek Navy by August.
At the end of the five-year lease, Greece is to take delivery of its first Belharra frigate, Kathimerini reported.
The acquisition of the two frigates - probably Languedoc and Aquitaine - was part of efforts to boost the country’s military capabilities at a time of rising tensions with Turkey, the newspaper said.
In the meantime, speaking on Friday afternoon, French Defence Minister Florence Parly said that the news ‘is not relevant, although of course we are at the disposal of our Greek friends to continue working even more closely’.
A Greek defence ministry source expressed surprise at Parly’s comments, insisting that Greek premier Tsipras had given the go-ahead on Thursday evening for Kouvelis to talk about the deal.
You may also like
More from Naval Warfare
-
![Argentina’s submarine and frigate acquisitions resurface with $3.5bn funding plan]()
Argentina’s submarine and frigate acquisitions resurface with $3.5bn funding plan
Buenos Aires set out foreign loans worth $3.5 billion in its draft 2027 budget, opening a contest in which Naval Group and TKMS could lead the field.
-
![AUKUS heavyweight torpedo test raises questions over future armed UUV requirements]()
AUKUS heavyweight torpedo test raises questions over future armed UUV requirements
A heavyweight torpedo firing from the Royal Navy’s uncrewed submarine XV Excalibur suggests a shift beyond surveillance, with allied navies eyeing strike roles for large autonomous undersea vessels.
-
![Industrial teams prepare roadmap for Indonesia aircraft carrier transformation]()
Industrial teams prepare roadmap for Indonesia aircraft carrier transformation
Fincantieri and PT PAL have agreed on a framework to modernise the former Giuseppe Garibaldi, with drones, communications and broader Italian–Indonesian industrial ties involved.
-
![Five years on: where could opportunities emerge next for AUKUS Pillar II?]()
Five years on: where could opportunities emerge next for AUKUS Pillar II?
Payload commonality, combat systems and electronic warfare are emerging as likely priorities as the trilateral partnership balances building submarines with sharing industrial ecosystems.
-
![Singapore expands maritime presence with future-ready Sentinel OPV]()
Singapore expands maritime presence with future-ready Sentinel OPV
Singapore is building space for uncrewed systems and future technologies into its new Sentinel-class OPVs, reflecting a wider move towards adaptable vessels capable of maintaining persistent maritime presence.
