Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in an interview with public broadcaster ERT1 late on Tuesday underlined that the Greeks must feel absolutely safe as the country has a strong deterrent force and many allies.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in an interview with public broadcaster ERT1 late on Tuesday underlined that the Greeks must feel absolutely safe as the country has a strong deterrent force and many allies.
"We will do whatever it takes. And the Greeks must feel absolutely safe that the country does not only have a strong deterrent force, which we have strengthened over the last three years, but also has very strong allies and is part of a group of countries that realise that borders can not be violated by force and that differences among states must be resolved only on the basis of international law," Mitsotakis said, adding that "we cannot have any discussion over the absurd."
Asked what the phrase "we are ready for anything" means, he said: "First of all, I do not want to make any assessment of what Turkey's next move will be. I want to tell you, however - and to include this discussion in the general geopolitical context of our time - we are facing a war. An unprecedented event for our generation. An overt Russian invasion of Ukraine and an - I would say - unprecedented reaction from Europe, which showed a remarkable unity, not just to condemn the invasion in words, but to support Ukraine and at the same time impose very harsh sanctions on Russia. Therefore, the question of our times is how to respond to an expansive revisionism, which often has references to imperial fantasies of other eras."
Regarding the Parthenon Marbles, Mitsotakis said: "It is right to talk about the reunification of the Parthenon Marbles and not about their return."
"I am confident that the Parthenon Marbles will return to our homeland" and "the reunification of the Marbles will be a unique event, which will not endanger the entire collection of the British Museum," he said.
Regarding the elections, Mitsotakis underlined that "stable electoral cycles are a conquest for the country", as well as that he wants to be judged at the end of the four-year term for the work he will have done.
Asked whether the state is ready to deal with the risk of fires this summer, the prime minister said: "I can tell you that we will be much more prepared."
He added that it will be a difficult summer. "It is inconceivable to believe that we will not have fires. The important thing is to be able to contain the fires before they get out of control."
Asked what he would like to do as a prime minister which he has not yet done, he replied: "I have a very ambitious plan to transform the country. And it is a plan that, obviously, cannot be implemented in four years, especially when we were called to face so many difficulties. Of course, I have to tell you that despite the difficulties, we have implemented many of our pre-election pledges."
Source: ANA-MPA