“We continue the negotiations with France and Russia,
but that does not mean that we will manage an agreement
in 2011. The emanating signal of our government is clear:
taking into account the unfavourable economic conditions,
we cannot finish transactions”, it declared.
In 2007, Athens concluded an prior agreement with France
on the delivery from six multipurpose frigates type FREMM
for an amount from 2,5 billion Euros. In parallel, it
has carried out for a few years of the negotiations with
Russia on the purchase of tracked armoured infantry fighting
vehicles, BMP-3. At the beginning, this market was estimated
at 1.2 billion Euros.
One of the largest purchasers of foreign weapons, Greece
underwent into 2009 the consequences of the world economic
crisis and was seen obliged to reduce its military budget
in 2010 to discharge its sovereign debt. The military
budget of the country for 2011 rises to 4,87 billion Euros,
that is to say to 2,13% of the GDP compared with 2,8%
in 2010.
