Extension of territorial waters and Rafale acquisition bill in parliament

The bill will clearly stipulate that Greece retains in full the right deriving from the International Law of the Sea, for the extension of the coastal zone to 12 nautical miles and to the rest of the country. And the second is the approval by the Parliament of the supply of 18 Rafale fighter jets from France, with the procedure of an urgent bill, with the aim of passing the bill on Thursday, January 14th.

The contract of the Ministry of Defense concerns the acquisition of 18 French Rafale fighters (6 new and 12 used from the French Air Force). The cost amounts to 2.32 billion (1.92 billion euros for aircraft plus another 400 million euros for their weapons). The contract will also cover the weapons systems that the new fighters will carry, as well as the maintenance of those French weapons systems and spare parts that are already in the Air Force and are necessary for the Mirage-2000 / Mirage 2000-5 fleet.

Immediately after the completion of the parliamentary procedures, the meeting of the Minister of National Defense Nikos Panagiotopoulos with the counterpart of the French Minister of Defense Florence Parley will follow. It is estimated that Ms. Parley will visit Athens at the end of the month, when the contract of the construction company Dassault Rafale (Dassault Rafale) with the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) will be signed.