While senior Turkish and Greek officials have voiced a wish to reduce their countries' defense spending, Ankara's major Navy modernization programs, including a multibillion-dollar deal to buy new submarines, remain in place.
The initiative to reduce military spending took off last month when Turkish state minister for EU affairs, Egemen Baðýþ, suggested the two neighbors cut defense spending.
Nearly 15 years after the two former foes almost went to war over a sovereignty dispute in the Aegean, they have agreed on a fresh set of confidence-building measures, including strengthening contacts between their militaries.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoðlu and acting Greek Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas earlier this month agreed in talks here on a number of confidence-building measures. "These measures will help bring our countries, peoples and armies closer," Droutsas said. "We should allocate our budgets not to arms, but health, education and welfare," Davutoðlu said at a joint news conference on April 8.
The latest measures include joint training programs at Greek and Turkish facilities within the framework of NATO's 22-member Peace for Partnership program. The contacts would also include visits by each other's chiefs of staff to give lectures at military academies, conduct joint research and visit staff colleges.
But there are still problems facing mutual disarmament. Turkey and Greece have territorial disputes in the Aegean and diverging views over Cyprus. The territorial disputes include differences on the sizes of territorial waters, airspace and continental shelf. The two neighbors' navy modernization programs are mostly designed to counter potential threats from each other.
While some political obstacles remain in place, Turkey's defense modernization programs, including major Navy deals, are continuing as planned.
The Turkish Navy will buy six modern submarines, built by Germany's HDW shipyards and Turkish partners. The U-214 type submarines will cost nearly 2 billion euros under a contract signed last summer.
Meanwhile, Greece last month announced that it was planning to sell one of the four submarines it would acquire also from the German HDW. Greece hopes to earn some 350 million euros by reselling the first German-built submarine whose delivery had earlier been dogged by technical concerns, Greek Defense Minister Evangelos Venizelos said March 17. |
