OPINION

No bending to pressure over arms

The Greek government is coming under increasing pressure not only domestically but also from its international partners to proceed with the purchase of further military equipment. However, agreeing to a new consignment of weaponry needs to be done with great caution, no matter how strong the pressure is. The primary reason is that the country’s poor economic situation and large public deficit mean that the state is in no position to make any financial commitments. After all, at this juncture, no amount of weapons can make the country any stronger. The second issue that needs to be addressed is an administrative reform of the armed forces and a thorough investigation into the management of weapons that have already been purchased by Greece. The example of tanks that have already been bought, the usefulness of which has been questioned, and which even now have not yet been properly fitted out, must be avoided in the future. The country has already paid dearly for the powerful arms lobbies that exerted pressure on the state and successive governments to buy particular types of weapons and, right now, bowing to such pressure is a luxury that Greece cannot afford.

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