NATO ON GREECE: Defence procurement is a right and a privilege of every country

Defence procurement is a right and a privilege of every country said NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu during an interview with Greece's national broadcaster ERT.

Lungescu made the statement when asked about the Greece-France Defence Agreement which has angered neighbouring Turkey.

"It is a national privilege to acquire military equipment. Defence procurement is a right and a privilege of every national government. What matters to NATO is that this equipment is interoperable, that we can work together and operate in parallel. We welcome the co-operation between NATO allies on this issue," she said.

Regarding the purchase of S400s from Turkey, she noted that "it is the responsibility and right of every ally to acquire defence equipment, but what matters to NATO is whether it is interoperable or not.

"And here the Secretary-General and many allies are very clear that the Russian S-400 system is not interoperable and cannot be integrated into NATO defence systems."

"NATO and the EU continue to work very closely together and our cooperation has reached unprecedented levels in recent years, but of course as an transatlantic alliance NATO, South America and Europe working together remains the cornerstone of defence.

In response to a question about EU wanting to create a Defence Union Lungescu added that "NATO has been calling on its European allies to do more for many years. First of all, in terms of defence spending, defence investment, investment in our own defences, whether it is for NATO, the EU, the UN or national defence.