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Sunday, September 6, 2026
Greece wants deeper ties with both Israel and Arab countries, its premier says
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Greece will press ahead with its strategic defense cooperation with Israel but also wants to deepen relations with other states in the Middle East, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis says.
Greece-Israeli ties and defense, security and energy cooperation have become increasingly close over the past decade and Mitsotakis enjoys a friendly rapport with his counterpart, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Shared concerns about Turkey have helped boost ties. The two countries signed a $3.5 billion deal last week for Israel to build an air defense shield in Greece.
Mitsotakis tells reporters in Thessaloniki that Greece is only one of five NATO countries spending at least 3.5% of its GDP on core defense.
Asked about US President Donald Trump’s expressed desire to sell the advanced F-35 multirole combat aircraft to Turkey, Mitsotakis replies that he will not tell the US what to do, but notes that legal obstacles remain as Turkey was sanctioned for buying the S-400 air defense system from Russia.
Greece will take delivery of its first 20 F-35s in late 2028, with an option to buy 20 more.
Mitsotakis also says he plans to visit Saudi Arabia soon, and that the recently concluded Mecca Joint Defense Agreement between Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey changes nothing in Greece’s relations with Riyadh.
Greece has maintained an air defense battery in Saudi Arabia since 2021, and has used its Patriot missiles four times since July to down drones and ballistic missiles, allegedly from Yemen, aimed at the kingdom’s oil refineries.
Mitsotakis will visit Cairo on Tuesday for talks with Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi.
The Times of Israel Community.