Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Those who loudly proclaim that they will come at night may come crashing down to earth with a bump when faced with harsh reality.

It is the path of growth and progress that we have been on for 3.5 years. We all continue along the same line to build a Greece that will move forward and always aim high. Our first term of government is about to come to an end. With the vote of the Greek people, the second term in office opens. We have achieved a lot. But we can do even more with a strong mandate to continue with the same and even faster steady and bold step. Above all, with the same credibility that unites us inextricably with society. It is this that also constantly disproves our opponents. They told us that we would not run out the four-year term and here we are completing it. They told us that you would change the electoral law, we kept it as it is. Some people bet that we'd be weakened by too many crises. And yet we all overcame them together. It was the same people who predicted that we would not implement our commitments, which became reality in their entirety, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at a New Democracy event at the Komotini Concert Hall.

The defensive fence will soon be extended across the Evros border

To talk about this new Greece I am with you. I have chosen eastern Macedonia and Thrace for my first tour of the new year. Here, Konstantinos Mitsotakis was the first to establish in practice the equality with isopolitics. Here, this border region has always been at the forefront of defending the homeland. Here we have achieved harmonious coexistence of Greek citizens of different religions. The citizen refuses to become a helpless pawn on the chessboard of discord, as some outside the borders seek to do. On the weekend of Carnival Monday in 2020 when the mass attempt to instrumentalize people was manifested, you kept our borders impregnable. That experience was a parallel message to those who opposed the defensive fence that will soon be extended across the Evros border. These are the same people who once did not distinguish between maritime borders and did not hesitate to slander their own country, even with false accusations of allegedly dead children. I wonder what we would be like today if they had handled such a hybrid attack and if today they still insist on open borders with migrants coming and then disappearing, as their minister in charge said at the time. I wonder if their programme includes their original demand that the fence on Evros should not be built, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at a Southwestern Democratic Party event in Komotini.

Our national and European borders will remain shielded

The government of Turkey is unfortunately moving into a frenzy of provocations, poisoning mainly its own citizens. It is sinking into international isolation. No one can rewrite history. We are countering aggression with preparedness, faithful to international law, the law of the sea and the Lausanne Treaty. We keep our doors closed to threats but always open to fruitful contacts. We are a force for peace, responsibility and legitimacy. We are always ready to engage in dialogue with Turkey, but there is no dialogue with the irrational. Those who shout that they will come suddenly one night may wake up one night and suddenly land abruptly in harsh reality. Our national and European borders will remain shielded. Let us send a greeting to the south-western tip of the country, where Greece is exploiting its natural energy wealth for the first time. Strong Greece means strong Thrace and strong Thrace means strong Greece, the Prime Minister said.

Our country is no longer a laggard but a protagonist in all the major changes in Europe

Never since the post-war period has a government been called upon to manage more crises. Not only did we not bend but we responded united quickly and decisively. We will continue to support society. We are building up those reserves that allow us to support society without disturbing the fiscal balance. The armed forces now have new defence aircraft. We are, of course, investing first and foremost in the human resources of the Armed Forces. We have strengthened the diplomatic footprint of the country. The agreements we have signed, mainly with France and the United States, are the other side of this strong shield. We have settled maritime zone issues with both Italy and Egypt. Our country is no longer a laggard but a leading player in all the major changes in Europe, the Prime Minister said in Komotini.

Our country is currently setting a record in terms of growth rates. Everyone is paying less tax

From the moment the cap was put in place, gas prices virtually collapsed. We made the biggest geopolitical investment in Thrace, turning Alexandroupolis into a strategic hub of the new energy map. If it were not for our homeland and the rapid completion of the IGB pipeline Bulgaria would not have enough gas to meet its needs. This means a serious strategy for a country which hopes to be a leading player in the Balkans.

Our country is currently setting a record in terms of growth rates. In 2019 how many people would have thought that today Greece would have twice the eurozone average and next year we will have three times as much. And we have achieved this by investing in exports, creating many new jobs while not at the expense of the individual budget. Everyone pays less tax, the Prime Minister said.

Households are supported against punctuality

The minimum wage will rise for the third time from 1 April and after 12 years pensioners will see a significant increase in their pensions. Quite an increase that will reach 8%. Households are bracing themselves against punctuality. We say gas prices have fallen but they are still three times higher. Now we will move to cover some of the household expenses, 10% of almost every family's essential purchases will be covered by this purchasing card. We are essentially absorbing all of the inflation increase. It is another complementary intervention of substance. Do you know where the money is coming from? Not from loans, not from taxes but from the extraordinary tax on refineries, the Prime Minister said. So who are the progressives and who are those who dare to accuse this party of lacking social sensitivity?;

In 60 days every pensioner will receive their pension - Free screening programme for women

This shame is over. In 60 days every pensioner will receive his pension. 25,000 permanent teachers for the first time in 12 years. The free screening program for women. Think of a woman in a mountain village who may not have known why it is important to get a mammogram. Over 3,000 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed through screening with many increased chances of living a healthy life because we detected the cancer at an early stage.

Everything that happened was neither easy nor self-evident. It took a lot of work. They were made possible thanks to the hard work and responsibility of all citizens.

Eastern Thrace as a transnational hub for energy, transport and trade

There are many difficulties. We have never hidden them and we have not faced all the problems. But I can look you in the eye and say yes, we have done what we said we would do. But if we have done a lot, we have even more to do for our country and for eastern Thrace with the road map of the development plan that was drawn up by you. I have a vision of this beautiful region becoming a transnational hub of energy, transport and trade. With a new dynamic based on national geostrategic partnerships. Major infrastructure projects are becoming a top priority. All have secured resources. I will speak indicatively of the great importance we attach to the ports of Kavala and Alexandroupolis, which remains under the control of the state by my personal decision because of its huge geopolitical importance, the Prime Minister said.

At the end of 2023, the first LNG plant will be operational in Alexandroupolis, covering the needs of the Balkans

A special mention for Democritus University. It took advantage, perhaps more quickly than others in Athens and Thessaloniki, of the great opportunities offered by the new framework law. Mainly for undertaking extroversion actions. Our goal is to become the third largest university in the country. And yes, we will open a psychology department in Didymoteicho next year and an aerotherapy department in Komotini the year after next.

Of course, Thrace plays a leading role in energy. It is a very important development that at the end of 2023 the first liquefied gas station will be opened in Alexandroupolis, which will cover the needs of the Balkans. At the same time we are expanding the natural gas network, the Prime Minister said.

The prospect of our second term is better wages - Public health is the central objective for the second four years

I am not going to discount my basic premise that growth must be balanced across the region and there are no first, second and third class citizens.

I'm not here to embellish situations. I know that imported precision is eating away at people's incomes. The state has done and is doing everything it can. In retail we have some of the lowest electricity prices in Europe, that is the reality. We have been mocked by some for the household basket. Any effort that enhances competition is welcome. We are in a position to be able to support society against extraordinary crises because we have a high growth rate. Our strategy has worked, and that is why we are able to see increases for pensioners, why we are able to see a small but not insignificant increase for NHS doctors, the relief from the solidarity levy, the market pass.

We will stand up to the waves as long as we always face the truth, close your ears to the easy solutions. If the motto of our first term was less taxes, the prospect of our second is better wages that converge with European wages.

The central objective for the second four-year term is public health. I know that no measure in this area is enough. Again resources from the Recovery Fund which concerns us all. Interventions will also be made in our hospitals. Digital medical records and free screening.

Here in Komotini in 2025 you will have the most modern hospital in the country. An important donation from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation.

Everyone recognises that since the summer of 2019 the government has given Greece a new power and voice. It has made it a dynamic leader. It has shown that your efforts are not wasted, they are paying off. In all difficulties, our government has found society an ally. It has been a journey that has had mistakes, I have acknowledged them and I have said that mistakes become mistakes when they are repeated. Our bad self is our adversary said the Prime Minister.

The country cannot afford political monstrosity schemes - Greeks will respond with a vote that will hide three words, stability, consistency and continuity

That's the difference between the two spring options. Either a second time to disaster or a second commandment to prosperity. Indeed this election is one of the most critical. The trap of simple proportional representation that Syriza set behind it - it held elections with enhanced proportional representation - threatens the country with ungovernability. Let's not talk about double elections, let's talk about national elections. There is no room for a loose vote. The first ballot will determine who will rule the country the next day. One and firm, therefore, is the ballot paper of factional debt and national necessity, the one that will make Greece self-reliant again and the South-Western Party the government again.

The country cannot afford schemes of political monstrosity. The actions of a government of tomorrow must not be lost in the corridors of bargaining. Together, we are once again raising the flag of responsible patriotism and creative modernisation under which truly progressive citizens are rallying. Are we going forward or are we going back? Who knows how to overcome crises? Who is finally a worthy representative of an equal and proud Greece in the capitals of the world? These are the dilemmas. The question «if not us then who?» is absolutely valid. Here we know that the Greeks will answer with a vote that hides three words: stability, consistency and continuity.

Those who shout about how they will come suddenly one night, to think that one night they may wake up and land abruptly in harsh reality

«No one can rewrite history or redraw geography», Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, responding to the Turkish government, which he said «unfortunately is moving into a frenzy of provocations».

«We keep our doors closed to threats, but we always keep them open to fruitful contacts,» he said during a speech at a New Democracy event at the Concert Hall in Komotini.

He stressed that «the more the Turkish government raises its voice, the more it sinks into international isolation» and underlined: «There is no dialogue with the absurd and those who shout about how they are supposedly going to come suddenly one night should consider that one night they might wake up and suddenly land abruptly in harsh reality. From the steadfast northeastern mast of our flag I send out my first message: Our national and European borders will remain shielded. And from here, from our northeastern borders, let us all send a greeting to the southwestern tip of the country (Gavdos) where Greece, after decades of delays, is exploiting its natural energy wealth for the first time. Strong Greece means strong Thrace and strong Thrace means strong Greece. We do not bargain for the protection of our borders. Evritis and Evrites, Thracians and Thracians should feel safe with the government of the New Democracy».

The Prime Minister referred to the Muslim minority of Thrace, of which he said that we are proud and noted that «the Muslim minority of Thrace

refuses to become a helpless pawn on the chessboard of discord, as some outside the borders seek to do».

He noted that in Thrace there is harmonious coexistence of citizens of different religions and this should be a subject of study for many other European countries.

The Muslim minority lives harmoniously in Thrace with the dual status of Greek and European citizenship, he noted.

At the same time, the Prime Minister criticized the government of SYRIZA.

He spoke of those who «opposed the defensive fence, which will be extended along the entire length of the Evros border, did not see a sea border, did not hesitate to slander, even with false accusations about allegedly dead children in Evros, when in Evros and the Aegean the Greek Police, the Greek Army, the Greek Coast Guard are fighting every day to save lives» and continued:

«I wonder how we would be today if they were handling such a hybrid crisis (the 2020 crisis in Evros). I wonder if they are still insisting on open borders today and if their programme still includes their original demand that the fence on the Evros should not even be built, which we are now extending along the whole length of the border.

Think how different things could have been if someone else had been at the helm of the country in these difficult circumstances.».

Mitsotakis said that his government has recruited 750 border guards, 250 more will be recruited and another 150 border guard positions will be advertised.

He also stressed that he consciously chose to start his tours in the new year from Eastern Macedonia and Thrace for two reasons.

The first is personal, because his father, Konstantinos Mitsotakis, was the one who established equality and egalitarianism. The second is national, because this region has always been at the forefront of defending the homeland.