Athens/Washington: – As tension increases with Turkey, Greece has decided to buy advanced F-35 fighter jets from the United States. The Greek media informed that a proposal for this has already been sent to the United States. A few months ago, the United States, upset with the Turkish activities, had thrown Turkey out of the F-35 project. Against this background, Greece seems to have delivered a severe jolt to Turkey, with the decision to buy F-35 fighter jets from the United States.
The international surveys and reports have revealed that there are huge oil stocks, lying under the Mediterranean Seabed. These oil stocks are in the marine regions of Israel, Greece, Cyprus and Turkey and Turkey has started moves to gain control over the largest chunk of these reserves. Turkey has been claiming rights over the sectors falling in the marine regions of Greece and Cyprus, in the Mediterranean Sea. Turkey even carried out oil exploration in the Mediterranean Sea, with the research ship, Oruc Reis, declaring a Navtex Alert.
Turkey has made massive military deployments in this region to justify its campaign and has started holding successive war exercises. The tension in this region has been heightened due to this Turkish deployment for destroyers and sorties of the Turkish fighter jets, in the Mediterranean Sea region. Against this background, Greece has initiated rapid steps to augment its military capabilities. Greece also signed an agreement, in September, with France, for this purpose.
According to this agreement, Greece will be purchasing four destroyers, navy helicopters, anti-tank weapons, navy torpedoes, advanced air missiles, along with 18 Rafale fighter jets. Thereafter, with the decision to purchase the F-35’s, known as the Fifth Generation Fighter Jets, Greece seems to be making preparations for a fitting reply, on the military level, to Turkey. Greece has demanded 18 F-35 fighter jets from the United States and it is being said that six will be absolutely new and 12 will be from the one’s in operation, for a certain time.
Greece indicated that discussions are underway in the matter and the number of fighter jets can go up to 24. Moreover, it has requested the United States to start the supply of the fighter jets from 2021.
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