Greece signs deal to buy 16 anti-ship missiles from France

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece signed a deal Monday to purchase anti-ship missiles from France as it seeks to bolster its defenses in a procurement program aimed mainly at addressing tensions with neighboring Turkey.

Greece’s Defense Minister Nikos Dendias signed the agreement for the 16 Exocet missiles with his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu, who was on a one-day visit to Athens. The two did not disclose the cost of the deal.

It is the latest in a series of purchases of military equipment from France, with Greece having already bought two dozen Rafale warplanes and three Belharra-class frigates. Dendias said discussions are progressing for the addition of a fourth frigate, adding that France is also providing Greece with NH-90 military helicopters, and the two countries are also cooperating in innovations in the defense sector.

Although NATO allies, Greece and Turkey have long-standing disputes over boundaries in the Aegean Sea and eastern Mediterranean that have brought them close to war several times in recent decades.

“Greece does not threaten, but is threatened,” Dendias said in joint statements to the press with Lecornu. The two ministers did not take questions.

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, right, and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu, left, inspect the guard of honour before their meeting in Athens, Greece, Monday, April 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

After their meeting, Lecornu and Dendias visited the French frigate Alsace, which is currently docked in Greece’s main port of Piraeus. Lecornu also met with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Greece and France signed a defense and security cooperation deal in 2021, which includes a mutual defense clause under which each would come to the other’s aid in the event of an attack.

Athens has said it will spend 25 billion euros ($27 billion) over the next decade to adapt its military to evolving high-tech warfare technologies.

Speaking in Parliament earlier this month, Dendias said Greece plans to shift from traditional defense systems to a high-tech, networked strategy centered on mobile, Artificial Intelligence-powered missile systems, drone technologies, and advanced command units — reducing reliance on conventional fleets.

Greece’s modernization drive — launched after years of defense cuts during the 2010–2018 financial crisis — already includes all branches of the armed forces and focuses on cooperation with France, Israel, and the United States.