Greece and Germany deepened their relations and talked about defense, regional stability and an enhanced the role of Europe in the Middle East war during the visit Foreign Minister Johann Wadepuhl The German FM used the opportunity to complain about the exclusion of German companies from the Greek armament programs.
Top on the agenda of the talks during the meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday were regional developments, focusing on Iran, Lebanon, and the broader Middle East region.
The Greek Premier stressed that Europe must maintain a presence in the region following a peace agreement, adding that it must support the Lebanese government and its armed forces.
They also discussed issues of common European interest, such as Euro-Atlantic relations, the strengthening of collective European defense, and the new Multi-annual Financial Framework.
The meeting with PM Mitsotakis had followed a meeting with Wadephul’s Greek counterpart Giorgos Gerapetritis, where more or less the same topis were on the agenda.
In joint statements of the two Foreign Ministers, Wadepuhl emphasized that “Greece is a friend and partner” stressing that his country wishes to deepen its relationship with Greece.
He described Greece’s economic growth as impressive, emphasizing that it is a dynamic market. He also referred to bilateral cooperation in the telecommunications and energy sectors, noting that there is still significant potential.
Fragile balances in Greek-German relations in armaments
However, according to daily efsyn.gr, the German FM used the occasion to complain about the non-participation of German companies in the armament programs implemented by Greece.
“The Greek-German relationship in the armaments sector is entering a new, more complex phase, where diplomacy, geopolitical interests and economic choices intersect. Despite positive rhetoric from both sides, the balances remain fragile, with Berlin seeking a greater role in Greek armaments programs and Athens weighing its decisions with broader strategic criteria,” the daily learned.
“In this context, despite the joint statements of the Foreign Ministers of Greece and Germany on the excellent level of their bilateral relations and their intention to progress the evolution of the Action Plan of the two countries, signed in 2016, into strategic cooperation, Berlin expresses its “complaints” about the non-participation of German companies in the Greek armament programs implemented by the Armed Forces,” efsyn.gr noted.
