Baykar's Piaggio move has angered Greece! Protest
Başak Berber10 February 2025 1 minute reading time
Greece is preparing a dossier to protest Italy's defense deal with Turkey. Athens is also demanding that European Union (EU) partners have a say in defense deals with Turkey.
Following efforts to interfere in Turkey's procurement of the Meteor Airborne Missile, Greece is now taking steps against Italy. According to the Greek newspaper Kathimerini, the Greek government has filed a protest on the grounds that it was not informed in advance about the transfer of Piaggio Aerospace to Baykar.
France-Turkey Talks
The sale of the Meteor missiles was discussed between Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and French President Emmanuel Macron at the informal EU summit in Brussels last Tuesday. After the meeting, Macron said that the deal was not guaranteed to be finalized, adding that "the UK holds the 'key' to France's missile sale."
It was stated that France's missile sale to Turkey will not affect the defense cooperation with Greece, while it was stated that the program for Turkey is progressing normally. It was also emphasized that Greece's purchase of Rafale fighter jets and frigates would not be affected by these agreements.
Protest against Italy
In the news article published in Kathimerini newspaper, the following statements were made regarding the sale of Piaggio Aerospace to BAYKAR "Italy has not informed other EU countries about the foreign investment in Baykar, contrary to European Union Regulation 2019/452. The European Commission and other member states consider this to be a matter of concern. Italy's aim to expand its cooperation with Baykar, especially through large companies such as Leonardo, is also noteworthy."
Source: SavunmaSanayiST.com / kathimerini
