The Greece-Israel agreement on the development of the “Achilles Shield” is expected to have positive implications for Cyprus as well, as it lays the groundwork for broader geostrategic coordination of air defense from the Aegean to the Eastern Mediterranean, where the Republic of Cyprus will inevitably find itself at the center due to its geographical location, said the Director of the Cyprus Center for Studies (KYKEM), international relations expert Christos Iakovou, told CNA.
When asked by CNA to comment on yesterday’s signing in Tel Aviv of the agreement between Greece and Israel for the deployment of the “Shield of Achilles,” an anti-ballistic and anti-drone dome with a unified and holistic command and control system, Mr. Iakovou emphasized that the agreement should not be viewed as merely Greece’s purchase of a single weapons system.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
As he explained, it is a comprehensive and multi-layered air defense network that integrates different systems under a unified command and control system.
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The network, he added, includes capabilities to counter ballistic missiles and other threats, provide protection against aircraft and missiles, and conduct airspace surveillance. “Therefore, we have a unified network for countering threats,” he said.
According to the Director of KYKEM, the critical question concerns the reasons why Greece is proceeding with this specific choice. Although the agreement refers to regional threats, he said, it is clear that Greece’s political and defense strategy centers on Turkey and the range of capabilities it possesses.
As he noted, Turkey possesses aircraft, cruise missiles, a large fleet of unmanned aerial vehicles, and ballistic missiles.
The experience of the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, he continued, has led to a reevaluation of concepts regarding defense and the response to modern threats.
“The conflict in the Middle East, as well as in Ukraine, has forced many in Greece to reevaluate their defense posture vis-à-vis Turkey, highlighting the need for a technologically advanced military with a multi-layered air defense system,” he said.
This is precisely what Athens is currently attempting to create, he added, by adopting a different philosophy in organizing its defense.
Mr. Iakovou noted that, beyond Turkey’s military capabilities, a key factor in shaping Greek strategy is the geostrategic concept of the “Blue Homeland.”
Given these circumstances, he said, Greece is turning to Israel and seeking to restructure its defense based on a new philosophy.
“Greece is not interested in—nor is it focusing on—a single crisis scenario in which it would shoot down Turkish fighter jets, but rather to create a multi-layered defense system that Turkey must penetrate in order to strike against Greece,” he said.
According to Mr. Iakovou, Israel’s role as Greece’s partner in this effort is of particular importance.
Israel, he said, has developed capabilities possessed by very few countries, having gained extensive combat experience in anti-missile and anti-aircraft defense.
At the same time, he added, it possesses advanced technology, which, as he noted, it now exports to such an extent to strengthen a neighboring state.
Mr. Iakovou assessed that the agreement places Greek-Israeli relations on a new footing, beyond the existing cooperation in the energy and defense sectors.
“In addition to the energy sector, there has also been military cooperation in recent years. Now we have geostrategic coordination,” he said.
This coordination, as he emphasized, is the factor that directly affects Cyprus as well.
“This system creates a unified geostrategic coordination that begins in the Aegean and extends into the Eastern Mediterranean, which will inevitably bring Cyprus into this cooperation, precisely because it covers the area in which Cyprus is located,” he told CNA.
This development, in his assessment, is expected to provoke reactions from Turkey.
The Director of KYKEM also noted that, in his view, such agreements are not signed without the approval of the United States, a factor that lends additional geopolitical significance to the Greece–Israel agreement.
As he said, this particular factor increases the pressure on Turkey regarding the revisionist and expansionist policy that, according to him, it has been pursuing in recent years.
Overall, Mr. Iakovou assessed that the “Achilles’ Shield” is not merely a new Greek defense procurement program, but part of a broader restructuring of the security architecture in the region.
According to his analysis, the agreement strengthens the military and geostrategic axis of cooperation between Greece–Israel and creates a new reality in the area stretching from the Aegean to the Eastern Mediterranean, with Cyprus situated geographically and strategically within this broader framework.
Source: CNA
