Defense cooperation deal between Athens, Washington brought before Greek parliament – reports

25 Dec, 2019 09:57 / Updated 4 years ago

A revised defense cooperation agreement with the United States has been brought before the Greek parliament for approval, media reports say.

The details of the cooperation agreement remained unclear prior to the beginning of the ratification process. Greek Defense Minister Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos confirmed earlier that the sides were considering the deployment of US forces to the Greek Larissa Air Base, the Greek Army Air Base at Stefanovikio and the port of Alexandroupoli, Sputnik said.

The bill on the ratification of the accord was signed on 23 December and bought before parliament on Christmas Eve. If ratified, the agreement will expand the US Naval Support Activity Souda Bay base, located on the island of Crete, and essentially allow the US military to use all Greek military facilities.

The revised agreement was signed on 5 October during US State Secretary Mike Pompeo's visit to Athens.