France is expected to announce a major military defense deal with Greece amid its diplomatic row with the United States and United Kingdom and Australia over a cancelled submarine deal. Greece is planning to acquire at least six French-built warships including three FDI frigates and another three corvettes, Greek state ERT TV reported. The deal will also allow Greece the option of buying a fourth frigate later. Greece is planning to boost its tally of French Rafale fighter jets to 24 with the purchase of another six as part of a program to modernize its armed forces amid tensions with rival Turkey.

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Greece Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis flew to Paris on Monday for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. Mitsotakis said in an interview with ERT that “we are heading towards a substantive deepening of the strategic cooperation between Greece and France.”

However, he declined to comment on the reported warship deal, estimated to be worth about 5 billion euros ($5.8 billion). 

“I have no intention to enter an arms race with Turkey,” Mitsotakis added. “But there are key issues of modernizing our military after a decade of (economic) crisis.”

Tensions between Greece and Turkey have grown in recent years over gas exploration rights in the eastern Mediterranean and waters. 

Greek media said the deal that Mitsotakis and Macron are expected to announce at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Tuesday follows an improved French offer. 

France recalled its ambassador to the US and called off a defence meeting with UK  after Australia backed out of a multibillion-euro submarine contract in favour of buying technology from the US for its nuclear-powered submarines.

Australia Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said that France “would have had every reason to know that we have deep and grave concerns” about the capability of France’s Attack class subs, which he said can’t meet Australia’s strategic interests.