Greece’s Defense Minister Nikos Dendias announced Sunday that his country anticipates finalizing negotiations with Italy for the acquisition of military warships by next month.
The potential agreement involves purchasing Bergamini class frigates from Italian manufacturers, building on naval cooperation agreements signed between high-level Greek and Italian officials in the previous year. These memorandums paved the path for Athens to acquire two FREMM frigates, with the possibility of obtaining two additional vessels.
Speaking to a Greek publication, Dendias expressed optimism about the timeline. “We hope that negotiations with Italy will be concluded and that we will have signed (a deal) for the acquisition of 2+2 frigates by April,” the minister stated.
The Defense Minister also revealed that Greece is working to equip these frigates with advanced ELSA missile systems of the latest generation.
This warship acquisition represents one component of Greece’s extensive military modernization effort, which includes a comprehensive defense budget of approximately 28 billion euros spread across multiple years. The broader military upgrade also encompasses the purchase of a fourth Belharra frigate from French manufacturers and new submarine vessels, as Greece seeks to maintain military parity with Turkey, its longtime regional competitor.
