If Turkiye wants to join European defence programmes, then it must also take Greece's concerns into account, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday in an interview on SKAI 100.3 radio station, adding that Greece will make a direct request that Turkiye's 'casus belli' is off the table.
""In order for the EU to conclude any defence agreement with a third state, everyone's unanimity is required. We will see and examine how we will use this tool. However, if Turkiye wants to enter European defence programmes, then it must take our own concerns into account. We will directly ask our Turkish friends to take the casus belli off the table after 30 years, and I will also say this to [Turkish President] Tayyip Erdogan in private. In the coming months, the High-Level Cooperation Council will be held, we are looking for possible dates. These meetings are useful, we must have an open channel of communication. The perception that the electric interconnection is indefinitely postponed is wrong," he said.
Referring to the plight of Palestinians and the situation in the Gaza Strip, the prime minister said the Greek government will "not remain silent and pursue the role of bridge builder with active diplomacy."
“ We have clearly stood in favour of the immediate need for a ceasefire and the restoration of the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. What is happening is unjustified and unacceptable. Israel must immediately stop these operations. Greece maintains a strategic alliance with Israel and we must tell our allies the truth. I have also said privately to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu that the horrific attack of October 7 cannot justify operations with a disproportionate humanitarian cost,” he said.
The prime minister also referred to domestic issues, such as security in Greek universities, saying that rectors that fail to draw up security plans will be subject to sanctions, as well as saying that the next Constitution Revision should end the regime of permanent positions for civil servants, so that it was possible to dismiss them if structural or systemic inadequacy had been established.
He noted that civil servants could not be permitted to simply refuse evaluation and that there must be sanctions for those who refuse, pointing out that the government was the first to establish a bonus for those who do their job well.
Regarding urban planning, the prime minister also called for a revision of Article 24. "There is a great debate about the boundary of settlements, which had been established since 1985. I have given an order to the Ministry of Environment to come up with a regulation that will also take into account the requirements of the Constitution for the protection of property and decentralisation. I have a strong feeling that if we want to encourage citizens towards decentralisation, then we cannot create obstacles. We will find a solution that will share the concerns of citizens, which are justified," he said.
Mitsotakis also indicated there there will be "no statute of limitations" regarding the actions taken by New Democracy:
"We must revise Article 86, we have already amended it by abolishing the statute of limitations. Regarding the actions of ND, there is no statute of limitations, citizens should know this," he said, adding that the former infrastructure minister, Kostas Karamanlis, was also asking that he be "referred to the natural judge". He said ND would not be long in submitting its own proposal.
Regarding the economy, the prime minister stated: “ We fulfilled our pledges concerning the economy, we have reduced taxes and supported vulnerable social groups and we have the ability to further support the middle class. We have an issue with rents, inflation seems to be stabilising but wages are increasing. There are no magic solutions in the economy. We will have to be a little patient until my announcements for the 2026 financial year. We are establishing permanent benefits.”
Mitsotakis also said that there was a big problem in relation to a shortage of housing that mostly affected tenants, while noting measures such as the rent rebate and action to encourage landlords to put closed properties back on the market. "Our attention will be focused more on the utilisation of existing homes and on supporting the income of tenants. This issue will concern us at TIF," he added.
Asked whether he would seek a third term in office, the prime minister pointed out that the next elections are scheduled for 2027, at which time ND will present its plan for Greece up to 2031. He noted that the recent reshuffle had helped the government "pick up the pace" while noting that he was not concerned by the criticism from former premier Antonis Samaras.