In September 2021, 18 months after the Turkish government declared the country’s land border with Greece along the Evros river open, threatening to flood Europe with 200,000 refugees, France and Greece signed a security agreement which included a mutual defence clause should either be attacked by a third country. The agreement was accompanied by a defence procurement deal worth €3 billion whereby France would supply Greece with frigates and corvettes. (Wikipedia).

Nearly five years later, following the delivery in December 2025 of the first of four Belharra class frigates to the Hellenic Navy, the agreement was up for renewal and an official visit last weekend by President Emmanuel Macron was the occasion for the formal signing of the agreement along with eight others, providing for cooperation between the two countries in fields as diverse as education and training, nuclear technology and digital development. Also, in the previous month, according to Kathimerini, President Macron had designated Greece among eight European nations placed under his country’s “nuclear umbrella”.

President Macron’s visit

The French President, accompanied his wife Brigitte, arrived at Athens International airport on Friday afternoon, 25th April, and was met by the deputy head of government Kostas Hatzidakis. This was to be very much a working occasion, with a tight programme of visits and appearances for the President. Soon after his arrival he and Kyriakos Mitsotakis appeared together at the Roman Agora in Athens for a public conversation mediated by the executive editor of Kathimerini Alexis Papachelas, on the theme “Challenges for Europe – the road towards tomorrow”. In the evening the two men attended an official dinner given in Mr Macron’s honour at the Presidential Mansion by the Greek President Konstantinos Tasoulas. (Brigitte Macron attended the dinner, but the Prime Minister’s wife Mareva, having recently undergone an abdominal operation, did not.)

At 10 am on Saturday the French President and Greek Prime Minister paid a visit to the Kimon – the first of the Belharra frigates to be delivered – at Quay 12 in the port of Piraeus. At 11.30 there was a ceremonial signing of the nine cooperation agreements at the Prime Ministers’ mansion – the Megaro Maximou – followed by a press conference with questions from the media.

At 4.00 pm the Prime Minister and the President were due at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre for a welcome from the Greece–France Economic Forum and a discussion under the title “Together for a Stronger, More Competitive Europe”, subsequently visiting the National Library for the exhibition “In search of the Orient. Crossing paths of archaeologists”. Later the French President and his wife were seen off at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport by the Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis.

Throughout the various discussions and statements by both leaders, the emphasis was on the need for greater European unity and self-reliance in a rapidly changing world where the support of the US could not be be relied upon, as well as on the strength of the friendship between the two nations. During the conversation at the Roman Agora, Kathimerini’s executive editor Alexis Papachelas asked Mr Macron what France would do if Greece’s sovereignty was threatened and he replied, without hesitation, “We’ll be there,” adding: “This is for me the definition of friendship – the France-Greece alliance you referred to. The alliance and the friendship is a very simple thing. When you go to bed, you don’t ask yourself, what will we we do tomorrow? You know it. If your sovereignty is at risk, do what you have to do and we’ll be here.”

The nine agreements signed between Greece and France

The nine agreements signed between the two governments covered a range of topics including education, technology and defence. The agreements were signed mostly by ministers for the various departments involved, with the French Ambassador to Athens Laurence Auer standing in for the French side on the two agreements relating to education and training and Higher Education.

The nine agreements were as follows.
— An agreement on enhanced strategic global partnership, signed by the two leaders.
— Agreement between the government of the Hellenic Republic and the government of the French Republic for the renewal of the strategic partnership for cooperation in defence and security between Greece and France. [The agreement is renewed for five years and thereafter automatically unless either side decides to withdraw.]
— Road Map for the strengthening of cooperation between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Republic and the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic.
— Joint Declaration of Intent between the Education Ministry of the Hellenic Republic and the Education Ministry of the French Republic for the further strengthening of bilateral cooperation on issues of professional education, training and lifelong learning.
— Action Plan for the strengthening of cooperation in the fields of Higher Education and scientific research between the Hellenic Republic and the French Republic 2026-2030.
— Joint Declaration of Intent for the establishment of cooperation in the field of nuclear technology between the Development Ministry of the Hellenic Republic and the Ministry of the Economy, Finance and Industrial, Energy and Digital Predominance of the French Republic.
— Agreement for the Foundation of an Intergovernmental Organisation for the Development and Exploitation of Digital Ocean Systems and Information Services.
— Declaration of Intent for Cooperation in Research and Development in the Defence sector and in Innovation of Defence and Military Strategies and Systems.
— Framework Agreement for the Ongoing Support for MICA IR/RF missiles and initial 2026 Implementation Agreement between the Defence Department of the Hellenic Republic and the company MBDA France.
(Haniotika Nea, 25/04/26)

Turkish reactions
Turkey was angered by announcement of the 2021 defence agreements. As reported by Thearabweekly.com, Turkey’s foreign ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said that “Greece’s armament and the isolating and alienating of Turkey, instead of cooperation, is a problematic policy that will harm Greece and the EU, and that threatens regional peace and stability,”

The current signing has produced a similar reaction, with the Turkish media suggesting that President Macron’s comments on joint defence were aimed at Ankara and proclaiming that with the defensive agreement between France and Greece, “Macron has set fire to the waters of the Eastern Mediterranean.” Moreover, quick to exploit any suggestion of discord, a commentator for CNN Turk, shown on Skai TVs Today programme, said:”The agreement between the Greek and French governments and the inclusion of Greece in France’s nuclear umbrella, has produced strong reactions in the opposition, chiefly from the parties of the New Left, Syriza and KKE. These three parties accuse the Greek government of leading the country into a dangerous alliance.”

The full video of the conversation at the Roman Agora, which was conducted in English, can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmZoH0aeoEw