Greece Cannot Leave Its Military 'Superiority' Over Türkiye Unused, Claims Mitsotakis

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has described Greece’s expanding military capabilities as giving Athens “superiority” over Türkiye, saying the country could not simply leave the resulting advantage unused.

The Greek leader pointed to upgraded F-16s, Rafale fighters and the arrival of F-35s as the basis for what he characterized as a significant shift in military capability.

“This gives us a very significant advantage; I would even dare to call it superiority,” Mitsotakis said. “And this is an advantage that we could never simply leave unused.”

Athens Points to Airpower Gains

Mitsotakis said Greece had strengthened its armed forces substantially in recent years and would determine its defense policy independently.

“Greece is not going to ask anyone’s permission regarding how it arms itself,” he said.

His comments placed particular emphasis on combat aviation, with Athens upgrading its F-16 fleet, acquiring Rafales and beginning to receive F-35 aircraft.

Türkiye’s F-35 Prospects

Mitsotakis also addressed the possibility of Türkiye obtaining F-35s, while saying decisions over U.S. arms sales were a matter for Washington.

He said Greece did not see itself as responsible for telling the U.S. which countries should receive American defense systems.

However, Mitsotakis argued that Türkiye currently faced substantial legal barriers to obtaining the aircraft and said he did not see a path to overcome those restrictions for now.

Maritime Disputes Remain

The prime minister said Greece wanted good relations with Türkiye but identified the delimitation of maritime zones in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean as the principal dispute between the two countries.

Athens, he said, would not engage on other issues raised by Türkiye that Greece does not recognize as matters for negotiation.

Mitsotakis also repeated Greece’s position that it retains the right to extend its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles at a time and in a manner of its choosing.

Defense and Debt

Alongside his comments on military power, Mitsotakis stressed the need to reduce Greece’s debt burden.

He said Greece would no longer be Europe’s most indebted country by the end of 2026 and projected debt would fall below 110% of GDP by the end of 2030.