Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Saturday welcomed a green wave from Washington to sell F-35 fighter jets to Greece, a decision by the US government, which also announced the sale of F-16 fighter jets to neighboring Turkey, AFP reported.

“Today is an important day for our national defense and for Greek diplomacy,” Greece is officially on track to purchase up to 40 state-of-the-art F-35 fighter jets, Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced in a press release, according to Agerpres.

The Prime Minister of Greece noted that he received a letter from US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken on this topic, which proves the “strategic depth of Greek-American relations”.

After Ankara ratified Sweden’s NATO membership this week, the US State Department formally notified Congress of the sale of fighter jets to Greece and Turkey as required by US law, ending protracted negotiations.

• Also read: “How amazing that everything happened at the right time, isn’t it?” What did Erdogan get for refusing to block Sweden’s entry into NATO

What else will Greece get besides F-35s?

In addition to the F-35, Greece receives a very large amount of equipment that decisively strengthens the three types of armed forces, as well as the Greek coast guard, emphasized Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Among them are frigates, S-130 transport aircraft, tanks and armored vehicles, as well as many other defense equipment, the Prime Minister noted.

The total value of the contract is 8.6 billion dollars.

Greece has long sought to acquire more advanced F-35 jets from the US as part of its defense policy against neighboring Turkey, with which it has often had tense relations.

Athens has strongly objected to the possible sale of US F-16 fighter jets to Ankara due to long-standing territorial disputes with Turkey in the energy-rich eastern Mediterranean region.