Strategic Alliance

In the period of the post Israel-Turkish alliance, things are moving really quickly.

According to Reuters:

Israel and Greece seek to expand military ties

(Reuters) -" Israeli and Greek leaders discussed expanding military ties on Tuesday including sharing military know-how and holding joint war games, officials said.

Israel has been keen to expand ties with Greece as its relations with Turkey -- another strategic Mediterranean partner -- soured since an Israeli raid on a Turkish-backed aid flotilla to the Gaza Strip in May.

As he wrapped up his two-day trip to Greece, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- the highest ranking Israeli to visit the country -- said the two nations were "opening a new chapter." -more

According to the AFP:

Greece reassures Arab allies over Israel ties

ATHENS — "Greece moved Wednesday to reassure Arab allies over the strength of its friendship, following an improvement in ties with Israel after a landmark visit by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Improved Greek-Israeli ties were "for the good of Greece and all of the Middle East region... and do not exclude our close cooperation with the Arab world, and particularly our Palestinian friends," Dimitris Droutsas, Greece's Deputy Foreign Minister, said in an interview with radio station Flash.

"Our rapprochement with Israel is not opposed to our traditional relationship of exceptional trust with the Arab world," he said, adding that the improvement in ties had been discussed with "all our friends in the Arab world".

Meetings on Monday and Tuesday with the visiting Israeli prime minister were "very useful and entirely successful because we achieved the fixed objectives: deepening of relations and cooperation with Israel," Droutsas said."-more

And the Wall Street Journal weighs in with:

Greece Woos Israel After Its Fallout With Turkey

"With Greece still gripped by a severe debt crisis, it needs to extend a hand of friendship to potential allies that will assist with its recovery. Athens has been keenly aware of how relations between Israel and its traditional ally Turkey hit rock-bottom after the Israeli’s military incursion into Gaza and the deadly attack on the Gaza aid flotilla.

Israel on its part is keen to deepen ties with Greece because of Israel’s increasing diplomatic isolation. Having a new ally that is a NATO member and a EU member can only strengthen its standing in the international community.

For Greece, a stronger alliance with Israel can be beneficial in many ways. Military cooperation may lead to more intelligence sharing, preferential terms in buying Israeli made weapons systems and a re-launching of joint military exercises. But the economic benefits are probably foremost in the mind of Papandreaou." -more

Posted by BLODOX

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