The Greek government has approved a major defense agreement with Israel, the Middle Eastern country's defense ministry said, according to Israel's Channel 7 (Arutz Sheva).
The agreement, which will soon be signed by the military departments of the two states, includes the creation of a flight school for the Greek Air Force by the Israeli defense company Elbit Systems. The document also provides for the purchase by Athens of ten Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master supersonic training aircraft ("Lavi"), maintenance of T-6 aircraft ("Efroni"), as well as the provision of simulators, pilot training and logistical support.
The volume of the agreement, the implementation of which is designed for 20 years, in value terms is about 1.68 billion dollars.
According to Israeli Defense Minister Beni Gantz, the treaty reflects "the excellent and developing relations that we have with Greece."
"This is a long-term partnership that will serve the interests of both Israel and Greece, create hundreds of jobs in both countries and contribute to stability in the Mediterranean. In the phone call I received after the agreement was approved, I thanked my friend, Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, and expressed my appreciation for his personal involvement in promoting this project. I also highly appreciated the recent strengthening of defense relations between our countries and expressed hope for their further deepening, " Gantz said.
Relations between Israel and Greece have been on the rise in recent years amid the opposition of both countries to Turkey's "expansionist" policy in the Eastern Mediterranean, according to Tel Aviv and Athens.