January 2: East Med pipeline deal signed
Greece, Cyprus and Israel signed an agreement to build the Eastern Mediterranean Pipeline that will carry natural gas 1,900km from the Eastern Mediterranean basin to the European market. The pipeline is estimated to cost 7bn euros ($8.53bn) and carry an initial 10 billion cubic metres annually, expandable to 16 billion cubic metres annually. It is a major irritant to Turkey, which sees it as an attempt to exclude it from the region’s energy bonanza.
January 30: Turkish ship enters contested waters
The Turkish seismic survey ship Oruc Reis entered Greece’s Exclusive Economic Zone southeast of Karpathos for about 24 hours, testing Greek reflexes. It was monitored by the Greek frigate Nikiforos Fokas.
Athens, Greece – France is completing the sale of 18 Rafale jets to Greece ahead of January, when French defence minister Florence Parly is to visit Athens to sign it.
The sale will make Greece the first European client for the advanced plane, in a deal valued at 2.5bn euros ($3bn).
It is Greece’s first significant defence equipment purchase since 2005, when it bought more than 300 Leopard tanks from Germany, and its first investment in a new combat aircraft since buying French Mirage 2000s in 1989.
Greece’s overall defence spending halved from 7.88bn euros in 2009 to 3.75bn euros in 2018, as an eight-year recession led to budget cuts. Greece is sharply increasing its defence spending by 43 percent this year, to 5.5bn euros ($6.7bn).
Rumor circulates that Turkey will push US from Incirlik air base after sanctions news.am - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from news.am Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.