The Minister of National Defense at the Forma Frigate Ceremony in Lorian, France
“With the FDI frigates we are constituting a reliable and powerful deterrence, expanding Greece’s strategic footprint in the Eastern Mediterranean,” National Defense Minister Nikos Dendias stressed during today’s Forman Frigate Frigate.
He described the “Formion” another “top event in the process of upgrading our Navy’s homeland”, following the capture of “Kimon” and “Nearchos”, the other two frigates manufactured by the Naval Group for the Navy. “It is also recommended,” he said, “confirmation of Greece’s commitment to preventing arbitrariness, and safeguarding our sovereignty.” He added: “The Navy of Greece is at the forefront of the defense of the sovereignty and sovereign rights of Greece and Europe in the Eastern Mediterranean.”
Nikos Dendias made it clear that “Greece has invested in strategic alliances and transnational collaborations”, while analyzing: “the strategic alliance with France implemented with the signing of the mutual defense assistance agreement, which I had to negotiate and negotiate at the time of the 28th. Foreign Minister of France, who today thank today, and for then and for his presence here Jean -Iv Le Drian – is a guarantee of stability for the region. “
He emphasized that it is a “station” agreement and recalled that “it includes a mutual defense assistance clause that shields our countries and Europe against any eastern threat”. “And it confirms what the government always claims to be a factor of security and stability, not volatility,” he added. For FDI frigates, he explained that “they have an additional important – first time in Greek history – the ability to incorporate strategic weapons. Strategic systems. “
Fourth FDI frigate and Greek participation
On the supply of a fourth FDI frigate from the Navy, Mr Dendias said that “the Directorate -General for Equipment of the Ministry of Defense has almost completed the negotiations for the supply of a fourth FDI frigate”. “I believe,” he said characteristically, “that the next time we are here to pick up” Kimon “there will be four frigates here.”
He said that yesterday he informed the House Committee on this issue, while stressing that the Greek Defense Industry would participate “25% in the fourth frigate program, which I hope our country will acquire”. Mr Dendias explained that “Greece is pursuing and will achieve 25% of the Greek defense ecosystem”. “After all,” he said, “Naval Group has accepted in writing this participation with 25%.”
For “Agenda 2030”, he said that it is a radical transformation of the Greek Armed Forces, “that aims to blame exactly defense spending and create wealth and know -how and innovation in our Greek society.” The Minister of National Defense thanked Naval Group, its executives and the workers for the effort they made and paid for the Greek frigates program.
He also thanked the Navy executives of our homeland “for their efforts, which, as they” make it possible at the moment “but also more broadly the executives of the armed forces that make it possible for” the ability of Greece to protect itself, society, the European borders “. “Not to provoke, but to guarantee. In the context of the social values of our European homeland, the values of democracy, the rule of law, the protection of human rights, the right of women, the right of each and everyone to freely express their views in this single European space, ”Mr Dendias clarified.
The ceremony was attended by the Chief of General Staff General Dimitrios Houpis, the Deputy Director General of the Directorate of National Weapon Systems (DGA) General Alexander Lahos, the Chief of the General Staff of the General Systems (DGA) Department of Defense Equipment and Investment Lieutenant General Ioannis Bouras. Following the ceremony of the “Formion” frigate, Mr Dendias from the 3rd FDI helicopter reiterated that “we are almost in the completion of the negotiations on the acquisition of a 4th FDI frigate,” Themistocles “.”
For the participation of the Greek Defense Industry and the Greek Ecosystem with 25% in the program, he stressed that “it is the first major defense program in which the Greek defense industry will participate with 25%”. “We go through that,” he continued, “from a phase we were customers and consumers, in a phase of defense technology co -producers.” “This,” he made clear, “is just the beginning. With the help of this new perception governing the “agenda 2030”, with ELKAK, with the money that is rushing, with the Rearm Europe, our country will be able to pass through a new era. In which it will not only develop its armed forces, it will not only develop a romantic defense innovation ecosystem but will bare growth, wealth, jobs for Greek society. “
In this way, he said, Greece “will be able to help young Greeks and young Greeks who are highly qualified and found or stayed abroad because of the crisis of the previous decade, return to our homeland and help this great effort.”
Naval Group: Delivered in 2025 and 2026 the three frigates
Naval Group, in a statement, says the technique was completed on May 28. Now, all three FDI frigates for the Navy are at an advanced stage of production and sail on the river. In particular, Kimon is undergoing marine tests while the “Nearchos” has been transported to the right bank of the river for removal and modifications of equipment before the port tests that will start after the summer. The three frigates will be delivered in 2025 and 2026.
The event, the Naval Group’s announcement, underlines the success of the close industrial cooperation between France and Greece, which is characterized by the construction of the FDI series block by Salamis Shipyards in Greece and the integration of about 70 Greek companies into the supply chain of Naval Group. As a result, the frigate “Forms” and its sister ships incorporate many equipment that is “made in Greece”.