ATHENS — "The Greek-French defence deal has irritated Turkey," Alternate Foreign Minister Miltiadis Varvitsiotis said on Monday in an interview with Skai TV.

Varvitsiotis said the agreement was a great success for Greek foreign policy, which is changing the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and pointed out that with this agreement Greece is sending a message to all quarters – and especially to the Greek people – that it is not prepared to leave its national sovereign rights unprotected.

He also commented that the negotiation of this defence agreement with the largest EU military force could only now be concluded, despite the fact that all Greek governments have eagerly sought it for many decades, and that this was achieved thanks to the Greek prime minister's making the correct choice and requesting it from French President Emmanuel Macron at the recent EUMED Summit in Athens and to put the mutual assistance clause on paper with such clarity.

Regarding the ratification of the Agreement on Thursday, Varvitsiotis stated that it would be strange not to have the unanimous approval of the Greek Parliament, as this would send the wrong message to everyone.

"We want the signal to be sent from all parties at all levels," he said, adding that all those who do not vote for the agreement essentially want the front that Greece can create when it receives any threat to be of limited scope.