“Athens welcomes today a long-time European ally and partner, but also a true friend of our country – and let me say it – and a personal friend of mine. In a moment that I would describe as pivotal as it seals a historic choice that our two countries made in 2021, namely the decision of Greece and France to stand together, transforming a long-standing common path into a strong strategic importance”, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in his joint statements with French President Emmanuel Macron following their meeting and the ceremony of signing agreements.
The Prime Minister spoke of the development of a multi-layered, substantial relationship rooted in the historical ties of the two nations, in the same principles and values and in the mutual interests of the two peoples. “With elements forged through our participation in both the North Atlantic Alliance and the EU, as well as bilaterally, of course, and the results are more than visible in the defence sector.”
He referred to the opportunity to visit the frigate “Kimon” which has just returned after a 40-day stay off Cyprus and the frigates that will be delivered by 2028 and added:
Macron to Mitsotakis: The mutual assistance clause is non-negotiable. Do not wonder what we will do. We will be at your side. pic.twitter.com/7gZXMXb3wV
– ELLADA 24 (@ellada24) April 25, 2026</blockquote
“While our Air Force capabilities have also been substantially upgraded with the delivery and operationalization of 24 Rafal fighters and, of course, through a multi-faceted alliance – to cite the agreement we signed today to upgrade the Mika missiles. All this strengthens our deterrent power, but it also protects both our national and European borders. And it is no coincidence that in the recent crisis in the region, France was quick to reinforce the defence of the Megalopolis and I have very strong memories – dear Emmanuel – of our joint presence in Cyprus with President Christodoulides because we proved in this way that European solidarity is founded on actions and not on words.”
The Prime Minister went on to stress that this Greek-French solidarity had preceded all the recent major geopolitical upheavals. “I would therefore say that it proved to be foresighted and timely in the field of security and stability and was in its way a forerunner of the broader need for strategic autonomy for our continent as a whole. Something that we have been talking about, at least for several years now, in the European Council, with joint programmes and co-productions, with operational interoperability.”
He noted that the frigates acquired by the Greek Navy and the frigates acquired by the French Navy are practically identical. But one Navy learns from the other with the commitment to mutual assistance being the crowning achievement of these agreements.
“And I want to thank Emmanuel again because in such a clear way and yesterday he reiterated that if Greece ever needs France’s support, France will be there and that’s why today we are taking another important next step.
The declaration on the enhanced overall strategic partnership between Greece and France, which we had the opportunity to sign a short while ago, reflects the scope of our cooperation and I would like to thank all the Ministries, but first and foremost the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who worked on the agreements we signed today.”
He stressed that a clear direction is being given for our diplomatic engagement while at the same time we are investing in the future with joint actions in education, while strengthening our cooperation in the intergovernmental organization Mercator Ocean International, a critical body for marine knowledge and observation, in strategic areas such as nuclear energy and technology.
“Besides, I had the opportunity recently to be in Paris for a very interesting conference organised by President Macron on this issue. And, of course, a short while ago the Finance Ministers inaugurated the Technical Support Centre of Euronext Athens, as the Athens Stock Exchange is now called. We are putting European integration into practice in the field of financial transactions as well.”
The Prime Minister said that the two will shortly be speaking at the very important Greek-French Business Forum, which is taking place as we speak. “And what all this says, it says our desire, Greece and France, France and Greece, to walk together on the road of 21st century Europe, ensuring conditions of prosperity and security for the present, but also opening a horizon of hope for future generations. Indeed, it was precisely this vision that occupied our discussion yesterday in the Roman Forum, a centre of public life in antiquity that continues today to foster fruitful dialogue and reflection, especially truth beyond the age of fake news, dialogue in the age of slogans and anonymous responsibility in the age of anonymous digital propaganda.
Mitsotakis: “Beton Armee” commitment by France and Greece to assist each other if needed pic.twitter.com/4dmT0XnyBf
– ELLADA 24 (@ellada24) April 25, 2026</blockquote
Dear Manuel, when the fundamental principles of the post-war order are tested, the response of democracies must be united, sober and decisive. Therefore, first of all, Europe itself, on the territory on which, unfortunately, war has been returning for four years now, must strengthen its autonomy at all levels. For only in this way can it sail confidently through the troubled waters of an uncertain world, and I want to thank the French President, because he has been very persistent in putting the issue of Europe’s strategic autonomy in all its aspects at the forefront of the discussions in the European Council.
I believe that our historic defence will also strengthen our common NATO alliance and with the member states of Europe now obliged to take greater responsibility for defending our common interests and our common borders. Realising that developments in the North, in the East, but also in the South, here in the South-Eastern Mediterranean, directly affect the security of the whole of Europe. And that is why a long-term, genuine European policy is needed. But we know very well that we cannot have strategic autonomy without a competitive Europe. And without competition there is no growth and prosperity. That is why the agenda of enhancing competitiveness in areas such as reducing the bureaucratic burden, cheap energy, will be at the heart of our discussions in the coming months, obviously culminating in the negotiation of the new Multiannual Financial Framework, which will be a welcome development if it is completed by the end of 2026.
.
We had the opportunity, of course, to discuss developments in the Middle East. Greece, like France, is a reliable interlocutor, a force for stability. We both played our part in a discreet way in the ceasefire and in the dialogue between Israel and Lebanon, a very important development which must be strengthened. We both have the same interest in protecting all religious communities, especially the Christians in the region, who are not just a minority but an integral part of its historical identity. We have the same interest in defending freedom of navigation based on international law and the Convention on the Law of the Sea.
And as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, we have raised this issue as a matter of the utmost importance, an issue that Europe as a whole must embrace, and we are obviously moving in the same direction in view of the Greek Presidency of the European Union in the second half of 2027. We are ready to contribute to the formulation of all those policies that give impetus to a strong, democratic Europe with a real role in geopolitical developments, which knows and can defend its values and its member states. A Europe of its citizens, ultimately the offspring of both Greek and French civilisation, the offspring of the ancient Athenian Republic, but at the same time the offspring of the European Enlightenment.
Dear Manuel, I close by reminding you that in planning for the future we are also honouring the past. And these days, Delacroix’s painting “Greece in the ruins of Messolonghi” is on display at the Xenokratio Museum in Messolonghi. It is a work which was donated by the Museum of Fine Arts in Bordeaux and I would say that it is a touching proof of the ties between our peoples, even before the independent Greek state was formed, whose birth, let us not forget, was fervently supported by the French and French.
And we are referring to 200 years and the recognition of the French contribution, a commitment and a solidarity that is important to this day, serving and continuing such a historic tradition of peace and cooperation, and I believe that this is exactly what we have done today,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said.
