PM Mitsotakis and French President Macron Visit Frigate Kimon in Greece

French President Macron and Greek PM Mitsotakis sojourn the Kimon frigate, a French-made Belharra-type warship, during the French leader’s authoritative sojourn to Greece. Credit: AMNA / Orestis Panayiotou

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and French President Emmanuel Macron arrived connected Saturday greeting astatine Pier 12 astatine the Port of Piraeus to sojourn the frigate Kimon, the archetypal of 4 state-of-the-art warships that Greece has recently acquired from France.

The French President, presently connected an authoritative sojourn to Greece, was welcomed by the Greek Premier, the country’s Defence Minister Nikos Dendias and the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff.

Greece and France leaders inspect warship successful Piraeus port

Upon their accomplishment connected Kimon, the 2 leaders inspected the defender of honour, followed by the playing of the 2 nationalist anthems. During the anthems, Rafale combatant jets, besides acquired from France, conducted a flypast, aft which Prime Minister Mitsotakis and President Macron boarded the frigate.

On committee the frigate Kimon were the 2 leaders, the defence ministers of Greece and France, the lawman overseas ministers of some countries, the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, the Chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff and the Commander of the Fleet.

Mitsotakis and Macron proceeded to the Operations Centre for a circuit led by the frigate’s commanding officer, moving done the Planning Room and concluding connected the Bridge.

President Macron’s authoritative sojourn to Greece

The President of the French Republic arrived astatine Athens International Airport connected Friday for a two-day authoritative sojourn to Greece, up of the renewal of the 2 countries’ strategical defence concern for a further 5 years.

On Friday evening, the 2 leaders took portion successful a public dialogue astatine the iconic Roman Forum successful Athens, a humanities tract intimately connected to the precise roots of ideology successful the metropolis wherever it originated from.

The treatment was moderated by Greek investigative writer Alexis Papahelas and covered topics of European security, economical competitiveness, and the EU’s effect to shifting planetary dynamics

The evening concluded with an authoritative meal successful President Macron’s grant astatine the Presidential Mansion successful Athens.

Heureux d’être de retour à Athènes et de retrouver de grands amis. La Grèce et la France sont liées par une amitié profonde et nos nations ont quelque chose de commun : elles pensent toujours au-delà d’elles-mêmes. Dans ce désordre mondial, cela compte beaucoup. pic.twitter.com/liCTc1KJxb

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) April 24, 2026

A telephone for strategical autonomy of Europe

In receiveing the French leader, the President of the Hellenic Republic Constantine Tassoulas stated that the Greek-French practice “is a exemplary of practice for each of Europe successful a caller geopolitical situation wherever decades-old certainties are called into question and planetary legitimacy is being attacked connected each sides.”

“The Greek and French civilizations person engaged successful fruitful dialog for centuries, contributing importantly to the enactment of modern European identity. Europe indispensable present presume its humanities duties and go a beardown geopolitical power, arsenic the times of carefree surviving are relegated to the past,” the Greek president added.

In his address, Tassoulas referred to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine four-year warfare connected the European contienent and the 52 years since the penetration of Cyprus by Turkiye, which opened a festering coiled successful Europe’s body. Another beforehand has precocious opened successful the Middle East, portion the European Union faces challenges of cohesion and society’s resilience.

“No state tin look these threats unsocial oregon instrumentality vantage of opportunities presented,” Tassoulas said, and Europe indispensable proceed rapidly to its strategical autonomy. Greece and France stock viewpoints connected their bilateral relation, European integration, and the way that the planetary assemblage ought to travel successful the future, and this is creates optimism for peaceful battles faced together,” helium noted.

The 2 countries signed a strategical concern successful 2021 connected practice successful defence and security, which brought fantabulous results successful 5 years and volition beryllium renewed connected Saturday, and automatically from present on.

“Our relationship afloat justifies this decision,” the French person said, arsenic helium pointed retired that the new, expanded model of the statement volition let Greece and France to bash much for citizens’ security, determination stability, competitiveness of the economies, and the defence of values.

“Our destiny has been linked for centuries now,” Macron stated. “Never uncertainty that France and the French emotion you. Whenever you look a threat, you should cognize we volition basal by you.”