Greece to boost military, get French Rafale jets in 2021

Greece on Tuesday said it will take delivery of 18 French-made Rafale fighter jets next year, as part of a major 11.5-billion-euro ($14.5-billion) drive to modernize its armed forces amid tension with neighbor Turkey.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said the agreements would be finalized with the French government and defense contractor Dassault Aviation in the coming days, announcing the news in parliament ahead of a vote on the 2021 budget.

Annual spending on defense is being hiked by more than a third in 2021 to 5.4 billion euros ($6.5 billion) despite a deep recession triggered by the pandemic this year.

Greece and fellow NATO member Turkey remain at odds over boundaries and undersea natural gas rights in the eastern Mediterranean, a dispute that intensified this year and raised concerns among western allies of a potential military confrontation.