Greece and Israel will cooperate on anti-drone systems, cybersecurity, says Greek minister

Greece will cooperate with Israel on anti-drone systems and cybersecurity, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said on Tuesday (January 20) after meeting his Israeli counterpart in Athens.

"We agreed to exchange views and know-how to be able to deal with drones and in particular swarms of unmanned vehicles and groups of unmanned subsea vehicles," Dendias said in joint statements with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz.

With strong economic and diplomatic ties, Greece and Israel operate an air training centre on Greek territory and have held joint military drills in recent years.

Greece last year approved the purchase of 36 Israeli-made PULS rocket artillery systems for about 650 million euros ($762.52 million). It has also been in talks with Israel to develop an anti-aircraft and anti-ballistic multi-layer air and drone defence system, estimated to cost about 3 billion euros.

Dendias and Katz did not say who would pose drone, cyber or other threats to their countries. But Greece and Israel both see Turkey as a significant regional security concern.

Production: Stamos Prousalis, Deborah Kyvrikosaios/Reuters