Greek prime minister expresses concern over sale of German attack submarines to Turkey

"Germany is planning to export attack submarines to Turkey. This is a matter of concern for us," said Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the virtual Europe 2021 conference.

Referring to the continent's aspirations for the coming year, Mitsotakis expressed concern about the German government's sale of Type 214 attack submarines to Turkey in the context of the Mediterranean disputes.

Mitsotakis' government has repeatedly asked Germany not to sell such weapons to Turkey. The Greeks argue that these could be used against Greece in a possible conflict, but German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ignored their requests. 

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, Germany's defence minister, reportedly rejected the request on the grounds that her government is incapable of stopping a contract awarded to a private company, such as the construction company ThyssenKrupp, according to the Greek daily Proto Thema. 

Although both are partners in the European Parliament, as Mitsotakis' New Democracy party and Merkel's Christian Democratic Union belong to the conservative centre-right People's Party grouping, the German chancellor blocked Greece's request for sanctions against Turkey's plans to drill for oil and gas on the Greek islands.

A decision that, according to Greek defence minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, 'brought Greece and Turkey almost to war three times in 2020'. However, Germany "went ahead with lucrative submarine sales and, at the same time, provided support to Greece".

Mitsotakis mentioned the US sanctions imposed on Turkey's defence industry, including the suspension of the F-35 fighter programme following Turkey's decision to buy S-400 air defence systems from Russia, in order to rebuke Germany's intentions.

However, the Greeks have found a new partner. Greek Defence Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos agreed with his French counterpart to purchase 18 Rafale fighter jets for a total of 2.5 billion euros in January. 

This was another signal confirming France's backing for Greek positions. Although some analysts have seen this alliance as an attempt by Macron to lead the EU in foreign policy. 

The conflict over raw materials in the Aegean has been dragging on for several months. Athens accuses Ankara of seeking natural gas in maritime areas that, according to international maritime law, can only be exploited by Greece. The Turkish side argues that these areas belong to its continental shelf. 

The dispute over Turkish natural gas exploration off the Greek islands of Rhodes and Kastellorizo in the eastern Mediterranean has intensified in recent months. But the territorial waters issue is only one of the sticking points. Other issues such as migration policy in the Strait of Gibraltar have also been contentious for years.

Greece and Turkey resumed negotiations in Istanbul on 25 January. This meeting marked the return of both sides to the path of dialogue after four years in the dry dock. The tensions put an end to the diplomatic track, and opened the door to a possible conflict.

Talks will continue in Athens. They will also be backed by Germany, as German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer received her Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar, in Berlin on 2 February to act as mediator.