The Greek request for the suspension of the sale of six German-built submarines to Turkey was once more met with the German government’s refusal.
According to reliable information at the disposal of Protothema.gr, in a telephone conversation, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos had with his German counterpart Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, on Wednesday, reiterated Greece’s request from Berlin to suspend the construction program of six 214 type submarines – similar to the four Greek Papanikolis type – arguing that they would be used by the Erdogan regime to pursue an expansionist Turkish policy in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.
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The German Defence Minister reportedly replied that the program to build the six submarines type 214 could not be stopped – or even delayed – because the manufacturer Thyssen is bound by contracts signed since 2002.
The flat rejection by the Merkel government, even to postpone the delivery of submarines to Turkey, is revealing about the attitude Berlin holds towards Athens and Ankara, but also the indifference with which the German government is dealing with the reactions of the German political opposition domestically.
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