USA shocks Greece: Not 5th generation but the oldest of its kind

Defence Minister Nikos Dendias also made a confession about the F-35s purchased from the United States.

The tension in Turkish-Greek relations was at its peak before the 2 big earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş. Greece was one of the first countries to send aid to the disaster. So much so that Prime Minister Mitsotakis tweeted in Turkish to show that they were on Türkiye's side. With the close contacts of former Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and his counterpart Nikos Dendias, the ice between the two countries quickly melted. During this process, President Erdoğan frequently contacted Greek Prime Minister Kiryakos Mitsotakis at various summits.

F-35 AND TÜRKİYE STATEMENT BY DEFENCE MINISTER

Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias, who has been making statements about the Turkish army and Turkey's moves in both the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean, has added a new one to his statements. Dendias made evaluations on F-35 aircraft, F-16s and Turkey's Blue Homeland policy.

Stating that Turkey's rhetoric against Greece has hardened in recent months and Ankara has not backed down on many issues, Dendias said the following about the Greek Air Force:

"I want to be honest, we are late, but we are trying to make up for it. We should have created a fleet of F-16 Viper aircraft by 2027 at the latest, but we missed it. We have only one type of aircraft, F-4, Mirage-2000-5 and Rafale. It should not have been this way"

"WE BOUGHT F-35S, BUT WHICH F-35S?"

Stating that there are many F-4 aircraft in the Greek inventory and that these aircraft are quite old, Dendias said, "We will either retire or sell them, if we can sell them. We also want to sell Block 30 F-16s. Of course, we have received the F-35s, but they have not arrived. Of course we bought F-35 fighter jets, but which F-35s? All of the ones we bought are from the fourth generation. These planes are still in their infancy, in other words, they are the fourth generation, not the fifth, and they are the oldest of their kind. Of course, it is a good fighter jet, we should wait for these planes to develop, we need them as a country."

"THE KEY ISSUE THAT ERDOGAN IS FOCUSING ON"

"Türkiye does nothing against us in the field, does not take any steps. They have a very hard and unyielding stance. They are very clear about the Blue Homeland. Years ago, when I called a Turkish diplomat friend of mine abroad and asked him about it, he said, "These are not serious matters, don't listen to them." However, at the point we have reached, Blue Homeland has evolved into the key issue that Erdoğan emphasises."

Source:Milliyet newspaper