The minister of Defence of France, Florence Parly, is arriving in Athens on Monday to sign the contracts for the sale to the Hellenic Air Force (HAF) of 18 Rafale multi-role fighter jets. It has been announced informally from Paris that Mrs. Parly will officially present a new, competitive bid for the sale of four Belh @ rra frigates. What will the new French proposal include? According to sources, Paris will include a proposal that Greek shipyards become an integral part of the construction of two -perhaps three- of the four frigates.
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The price offered by the French to Greece will reportedly amount to about 4 billion euros for the four warships, a cost significantly reduced from the price of about 3 billion euros for two frigates, a proposal that had forced the Mitsotakis government to inform the side of Emanuel Macron that the implementation of the program was not feasible.
Aides close to PM Mitsotakis point out that after the lucrative French proposal was submitted by Defense Minister Parly, other countries seeking to win the € 4 billion contract will also submit bids.
In addition to the huge nominal value of the frigate program, it is a common secret that whoever undertakes the shipbuilding will establish a privileged partnership with the Navy for the supply of spare parts and other materials for the next 40 years.
