In a statement, ANTARSYA notes that while farmers are mobilising for survival, workers struggle to make ends meet, and public education, healthcare and transport infrastructure are deteriorating, the government staged what it described as a nationalist and militaristic display to welcome the frigate Kimon. The vessel is the first of four French-built Belharra-type frigates, with a further four Italian frigates expected to follow. According to the statement, Kimon alone cost more than €1bn, while the French frigates will exceed €4bn in total, sums that ANTARSYA says could instead meet basic social needs.
The organisation points to statements made during the reception ceremony by senior officials, including Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as evidence of the intended role of the new vessels. It argues that, contrary to claims that they are meant for defensive purposes in the Aegean, the frigates are designed for operations in the south-eastern Mediterranean and beyond, in line with what was described as a new naval deterrence doctrine.
According to ANTARSYA, the acquisition of the frigates, alongside other costly programmes such as the purchase of Rafale and F-35 fighter jets, serves the strategic interests of Greek capital in competition with Turkish capital over exclusive economic zones and energy resources in the south-eastern Mediterranean. At the same time, it argues, these systems will be available for NATO, EU and US military plans, as well as cooperation with Israel, which it describes as a strategic ally of the Greek state.
The statement also criticises the political consensus around the armaments programme, noting that the purchase of the first three Belharra frigates was supported by New Democracy, PASOK and SYRIZA, while far-right and nationalist forces consistently back increased military spending. ANTARSYA argues that public funds are being channelled into weapons as part of broader war preparations and deeper involvement in international military conflicts.
Concluding, ANTARSYA rejects any celebration of the arrival of the frigate Kimon and calls instead for mobilisation by workers, farmers and young people. Its demands include the cancellation of major armaments programmes, the redirection of resources towards social support, and a policy based on peace and cooperation between peoples rather than militarisation and competition.
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