Greece will send some of its Patriot defence missiles to Saudi Arabia under a programme involving the US, Britain and France, Government spokesman Stelios Petsas announced on Tuesday.
Athens will deploy the missiles at Saudi Arabia's cost "to protect critical energy infrastructure."
"The deployment contributes to energy security, promotes our country as a factor of regional stability and strengthens our ties to Saudi Arabia," Petsas stated, adding that talks on the move began in October.
The announcement comes as Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was recently in the Middle East for investment talks with the governments of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. He visited Riyadh on Monday and was in Abu Dhabi yesterday.
“As a defensive system, this constitutes no threat to other countries in the area,” Petsas continued.
Earlier this week Petsas also stated that “around 130 personnel” would accompany the missiles, which Greek opposition parties have condemned as dangerous “adventurism”.
“This would be a Greek military presence outside the Mediterranean for the first time in decades,” leftist Eurodeputy Dimitris Papadimoulis tweeted in January.
