Hadjivassiliou: What the government said on national defence, it did in practice – The balance of power with Turkey does not change

“Whatever the authorities said connected National Defence, it has done,” said Serres MP and Secretary of International Relations and EU of the New Democracy, Tassos Hadjivassiliou, speaking Wednesday greeting connected OPEN.

Referring to planetary developments, helium noted that “the concern successful Ukraine has taught america that the signifier of warfare has wholly changed,” and went connected to enactment that “the authorities and the Minister of Defence person rather rightly turned to smarter weapons. It is simply a liable prime of the authorities to marque the state a shaper of subject hardware successful the agelong run.”

Referring to the European defence mechanics SAFE, Hadjivassiliou explained that “it has to bash with European funds, which done circumstantial protocols unfastened the mode for backing to countries participating successful the mechanism, to enactment their defence and the European defence industry”. He clarified that “the SAFE programme has thing to bash with imaginable bilateral agreements betwixt Turkey and European oregon different countries for the nonstop acquisition of defence equipment”, making it wide that Turkey is not portion of SAFE.

Asked astir the statement betwixt Britain and Turkey connected the proviso of Eurofighter combatant jets, Hajivassiliou recalled that “Ankara had started talks to bargain 100 F-35s, past asked to bargain caller and upgrade aged F-16s and present ended up asking for 44 Eurofighters, galore of which volition beryllium second-hand.” As helium added, the neighboring state “is practically making exigency solutions, which bash not alteration the equilibrium of power.”

And helium explained that “the British are redeeming the programme and unneurotic they are redeeming 20,000 jobs, portion Turkey is trying to capable successful the gaps.” At the aforesaid time, the Serres MP said that “in Turkey, arsenic it seems today, lone 50 F-16 craft are airworthy. Therefore, Ankara is successful contiguous request of strengthening its aerial force. However, the US doorway for F-35 remains closed; otherwise, Turkey would not person made this choice.”

He went connected to accent that “Greece cannot beryllium a supervisor successful each bilateral economical statement that a European state wants to make. But everyone is judged.” He added emphatically. I callback that the UK is simply a guarantor powerfulness successful the Republic of Cyprus, on with Greece and Turkey. And it is presently giving Eurofighters to the country, which is illegally occupying the bluish portion of Cyprus and threatening Greece.”