The depth of cooperation between Greece and Israel was underscored on Tuesday by a meeting in Athens between the two countries’ defense ministers, held less than a month after a trilateral gathering in Jerusalem and bilateral contacts between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

 Defense Minister Nikos Dendias and his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz, met as both sides advance contracts for the procurement of Israeli-made defense systems and closer links between their innovation ecosystems. The talks come as global and regional balances are being reshaped, giving added weight to the strategic relationship between Athens and Jerusalem.

Beyond the bilateral framework, well-informed sources place the cooperation within a broader constellation that includes countries such as India. In addition to the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), in which Greece, Israel and India play key roles, the three countries share comparable strategic positions vis-à-vis a range of regional actors, from Turkey to Pakistan. France is also present in these discussions in various ways, maintaining strong ties with Greece and India and appearing to seek new balances with Israel.

On the bilateral front, Dendias referred to defense cooperation across a wide spectrum, ranging from operational interoperability and joint exercises to strategic convergence in research, innovation, defense technology and industry. He reiterated references to ongoing programs, including missile artillery systems and the so-called “Achilles’ Shield,” encompassing Barak MX, David’s Sling, Spyder systems and radar.

According to Dendias, the two sides also agreed on an exchange of know-how to enable the effective countering of drones and drone swarms, as well as other unmanned vehicles in the air, on the sea surface and below it.

Katz, for his part, referred to the IMEC initiative and connectivity projects, explicitly including an undersea cable, and highlighted the very close military cooperation between Greece and Israel, with emphasis on intelligence sharing and joint exercises.

Aligning with Netanyahu’s line toward Turkey, Katz said, “Anyone who dreams of turning the region backward, imposing control through terrorism or reconstituting empires at the expense of sovereign states will encounter a determined alliance of free, strong states with the ability to defend themselves.”

As expected, Katz’s visit drew comment from Turkish media, which focused on unmanned aerial vehicle systems used effectively by Turkey.

Source: Ekathimerini.com