"Anyone who toys with our territorial sovereignty will find us united and determined to safeguard it - this is the message sent by the Mitsotakis government and the Prime Minister to Turkey", stressed today Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, speaking on Open TV’s show “Ora Ellados” and journalists Akis Pavlopoulos and Evlambia Revi.
Commenting on the arrival of the first six Rafale aircrafts yesterday in Athens, Mr. Varvitsiotis pointed out that the government proceeded with the procurement of this weapon following a twenty-year debate on the purchase of fourth generation aircraft, and at an unprecedented time of delivery regarding defence supplies.
In addition, as the Alternate Minister said, Rafale aircraft give Greece a comparative advantage. He added that Ankara’s frustration over the Rafale aircraft and other weapons systems ordered by the Kyriakos Mitsotakis government demonstrates Turkey's fear that the balance in the Aegean is shifting.
Mr. Varvitsiotis also noted that Turkey is currently under economic pressure and history has shown that it is exporting such pressure. He underscored, however, that "the Greek government, with the messages it sends, has left no room for Mr. Erdogan and his officials to believe that a venture in the Aegean would be an auspicious one".
January 20, 2022