ATHENS – Nobody can make presumptions regarding the final outcome of the debate in the U.S. Senate on the 2023 U.S. defence budget, stated governent spokesperson and Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Yiannis Oikonomou on Wednesday. Commenting on main opposition SYRIZA-PA’s announcement regarding the bill, he noted that the balance of power in the field with Turkey has changed in Greece’s favour, due to the government’s choices.

“SYRIZA’s press office and the Turkish News Agency Anadolu are the only seeking to present a stage in the process of debating the bill as an accomplished fact. An affair for which nobody can presume to say with certainty either the time or, more importantly, on what terms, it will end,” Oikonomou said.

The spokesperson was referring to the dropping of two amendments by Democratic senators restricting the sale of F-16s to Turkey from the Senate version of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).