Tehran – Pak Sahafat – While the country and the people of Yemen have been under full and comprehensive sanctions for several years, Greece has announced that with the withdrawal of the American air defense systems “Patriot” and “Todd” from Saudi Arabia, it will replace its Patriot system instead.
Greece recently announced that Greece would send the Patriot missile air defense system and 120 of its personnel to Saudi Arabia on loan for an indefinite period of time.
The agreement to send Greek Patriot systems to Saudi Arabia was signed in April (April / May) and is a step forward in cooperation between Greece and the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf.
“This is a big step for our country in cooperating with the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf, and it also contributes to the greater security of energy resources for the West,” said Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias.
The Greek Foreign Minister justified Athens’ move by saying: “Patriot systems are not offensive weapons; they are defense systems and are not directed against any country, but defend airspace.”
The head of the Greek Joint Chiefs of Staff, Constantine Flouros, also tweeted confirming the deployment of Patriot air defense systems to Saudi Arabia, posting pictures of the deployment and the deployment of Greek forces to launch them in Saudi Arabia.
Without mentioning Saudi Arabia’s seven-year war against the oppressed people of Yemen, Florus claimed that “the mission of the system sent to Saudi Arabia is to maintain peace and stability, especially in the Middle East.”
This Greek move is the latest sign of increased cooperation between Athens and Riyadh; In March, the Saudi Air Force sent F-15 fighter jets to the Greek island of Crete to take part in the “Eye of Falcon 1” exercise over the Mediterranean Sea.
In addition to increasing military cooperation with Saudi Arabia, Greece also seeks to expand its cooperation with the United Arab Emirates; The UAE also deployed fighter jets to the island of Crete in August 2020 amid rising tensions between Greece and Turkey over disputes over maritime borders and oil resources in the eastern Mediterranean.
A few days ago, the American newspaper “Wall Street Journal” published a report emphasizing that Washington is growing concerned about Yemeni missile and drone strikes on military structures and targets deep in Saudi Arabia, so Washington intends to protect its forces, as well as Patriot and Todd air defense systems, from Saudi Arabia (and practically withdraw from the war in Yemen).