Athens / Derya Klnaz Özcan / Anadolu

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he will continue cooperation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to build a constructive relationship between Greece and Turkey.

He made the remarks to reporters on Wednesday after the conclusion of the 36th summit of heads of state and government of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Mitsotakis expressed his belief that maintaining NATO's unity and its Euro-Atlantic character requires European countries to take on a greater share of responsibility within the alliance.

He added: 'This means we need to spend more resources to achieve a balance between the United States and the rest of NATO members.'

Mitsotakis noted that U.S. President Donald Trump has been advocating this position for eight years, confirming that he agrees with him on this matter.

He explained that Greece has exceeded its target of allocating 3.5% of its GDP to defense spending by 2026.

Mitsotakis pointed out that this percentage has not fallen below 2% even during the economic crisis the country experienced.

In response to a question about the possibility of Turkey acquiring F-35 fighter jets from the United States, Mitsotakis merely referred to Greece's plan in this regard.

He said Greek pilots will begin training in 2027 on the F-35 jets allocated to Greece.

He added: 'It is not my job to comment on other countries' choices. And it is not Greece that decides for the United States to whom it sells or does not sell defense systems.'

Mitsotakis noted that he has always supported building a fruitful and practical relationship between Turkey and Greece.

He pointed out that progress has been made in many bilateral relations files recently.

**Turkey organized a great NATO summit

The Greek prime minister said: 'I always appreciate Turkish hospitality, and I repeat again that Turkey organized a great NATO summit. I will continue cooperation with President Erdogan to build a constructive relationship.'

In response to a question about relations between Iran and the United States, Mitsotakis expressed optimism on the matter, but considered that conditions will not return to what they were in recent months.

He added that freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz is a priority not only for Greece but also for European countries and the United States.