Greece does not expect NATO support against Turkey and is strengthening ties with Israel – analysis

Greece does not expect NATO to come to its defense in the event of Turkish aggression and is strengthening its military relationship with Israel as a result, European affairs analyst Yannis Koutsomitis told i24NEWS.

Following the latest $3.5B Greek-Israeli defense agreement, Koutsomitis said Athens increasingly believes it must be capable of defending itself rather than relying on the Western military alliance.

“Greece does not expect any NATO support in case Turkey makes an aggression against Greece,” Koutsomitis said. “This is why it’s pursuing military ties to friendly countries like Israel.”

Greece and Turkey are both members of NATO, making the prospect of a confrontation between them particularly complicated for the alliance.

Koutsomitis pointed to Turkey’s 1974 invasion of Cyprus as a reason for Greek skepticism over whether its NATO allies would intervene in a future crisis.

“Greece should defend itself with its own resources and also with friends,” he said. “We’ve seen in the past, when Turkey invaded Cyprus, there was no support from other NATO countries.”

Koutsomitis said the latest defense cooperation with Israel is a reaction to an increasingly belligerent Ankara.

“We’ve seen a rise in threats from Turkey in recent weeks, especially since Greece is strengthening its ties with the Israeli military,” he said.

He noted that Greece’s military chief visited Tel Aviv this month for talks with the head of the Israel Defense Forces, a meeting he said prompted a furious reaction from Turkey.

“This is totally Turkish aggression against Greece, and Greece is responding by procuring these high-technology anti-missile and anti-drone systems,” Koutsomitis said.

But he argued that Turkey is not the only threat driving Athens’ defense strategy.

According to Koutsomitis, Greece is also concerned about the missile and drone capabilities of Iran and its regional proxies, including Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Greece is facing a two-sided threat, both from Turkey and also from Iran and its proxies in the region,” he said.

He described the decision to turn to Israeli technology capable of intercepting drones and medium- and long-range missiles as a rational response by the Greek armed forces.

The partnership also offers benefits to Israel, Koutsomitis said, by providing Israeli defense companies with a route into Europe’s rapidly expanding defense sector.

“Israel is joining a European defense program. That’s a reality,” Koutsomitis said.

With European countries sharply increasing defense procurement in response to threats ranging from Russia to instability in the Middle East, Koutsomitis argued that Israel could ultimately be one of the beneficiaries.

“This is something that Israel is benefiting from as well from European defense expansion,” he said.