The Greek Parliament approved the draft law for the purchase of 18 Dassault Rafale fighter aircraft jets from France.
The draft law was approved in yesterday's voting session held in the parliament, which envisages the purchase of 18 Rafale fighter jets, 6 of which will be new and 12 used, which will cost Greece 2.5 billion euros.
Defense Minister Nikos Panayotupulos argued in a statement after the vote that the bill passed by parliament "conveys a clear message in all directions".
It was previously reported that the first batch of French aircraft will be delivered in July, while all 18 aircraft will go to Greece by mid-2023.
In the shadow of tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean, official Athens had chosen to quadruple its armaments budget by 2021, although the country has been facing financial difficulties, austerity policies for years and is barely standing on its own two feet thanks to the support of the European Union (EU).