PM Mitsotakis to meet President Erdogan on Sunday in Istanbul

Government spokesperson Yiannis Economou on Tuesday announced that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Sunday, March 13. Mitsotakis will also celebrate the Feast of Orthodoxy with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew in Istanbul the same day. The premier was invited to a dinner by the Turkish president, which he accepted.

"Both countries are facing common challenges. The prime minister will go to the meeting with positive attitude and without illusions or divergences from the known positions, which are based on international law," Economou stated.

"Honesty and consistency over time are the chief guarantees for the survival of peoples. The unity of the Greeks is unbroken. With its stance regarding Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Greece proves its commitment to international law. It made clear its position against the Russian invasion from the very start. We are again on the right side of history. Revisionist thinking can't be tolerated from any party," Economou clarified, referring to the war in Ukraine.

The government spokesperson referred in detail to the operations for the protection and security of the ethnic Greeks in Ukraine. "Greece accepts and will continue to accept refugees from Ukraine. Greece will provide the Ukrainian refugees with an emergency 12-month residence permit," he said.

He also noted that the Russian invasion was leading to soaring price hikes and referred to the government's actions against it. "The Russian invasion is triggering major  turbulence. Great difficulties lie ahead of us. The government is making every possible effort to mitigate the negative repercussions from the unprecedented hikes in energy rates. With a plan, we will support the citizens in the face of the difficulties that lie before us," he concluded.

Source: ANA-MPA