Hammering of Alexis Tsipras in the Parliament in the context of the debate on the ratification of the contracts of the Ministry of National Defence for the acquisition of the 3 Belharra frigates, of the six additional Rafale and 44 torpedoes for the submarines. Civilians don't have to pay for electricity, we have record inflation and you vote for 7 billion in armaments, the president of SYRIZA-PS stressed. I do not support not to proceed with armaments in order to proceed with social expenditure, but I ask prudence to do both, he underlined.
«You invoked that we will not go back to deficits and the policy of international distrust,» said Al. Tsipras, addressing Kyriakos Mitsotakis. «And the citizen who cannot pay his electricity bill, with inflation at a 25-year high of 6.2%, is listening to you, while you are voting for 7 billion in armaments. Have you learned nothing?; Without a single euro for the Greek defence industry,» he stressed.
«What can this man be thinking when he sees appropriate the purchase of armaments with the Greek people's money, in a party spot. The aircraft paid for with Greek taxpayers» money," he remarked.
«What can a citizen think when he knows that the big problem facing the country is the issue of energy. And Greece - in the midst of the Russo-Eastern crisis - negotiates with Russia the price of natural gas, and supplies it 30% more expensive than neighbouring Bulgaria» he continued.
The President of SYRIZA-PS stressed that no one doubts the importance of strengthening the country's deterrent power, especially after so many years of stagnation due to the memoranda and the crisis, and given the Turkish aggression. He recalled that the the first major armament programme to go ahead after a decade was the upgrade of the F16 under the SYRIZA government.
«But in a country that a decade ago was plunged into financial crisis amid scandals and billions of dollars in armaments programs, in an unstable economic environment, it is it is an insult to brag about arms spending and to copy yesterday's recipes, which led to the budgetary aberration and bankruptcy. And at the same time invoke responsibility and prudence. And it is the nerve to wag your finger at us because we won't give you a blank cheque, to manage defence spending, without planning, without transparency and outside institutional procedures,» he stressed.
The leader of the opposition was absolutely clear about the positions of SYRIZA-PS.«We firmly support, with national responsibility, the armament of the country on the basis of the logic of adequate defence and in the context of an integrated planning and programming to strengthen the deterrent capability of our Armed Forces. And in this context, we vote for the purchase of the frigates, we had negotiated it as a government. But at the same time we consider unacceptable, that there is no commitment for the participation of Greek industry in the frigate programme, as there is no such thing in relation to Rafals,» he said, noting that he also finds it unacceptable that maintenance for the frigates has been provided for the first three years only again without the participation of the Greek defence industry.
Al. Tsipras recalled that Sun. Mitsotakis was the one who cancelled the programme for the frigates in the summer of 2020. «When the Oruc Reis was 8 nm from Rhodes and 6 nm from Kastellorizo. Mr Mitsotakis, precisely because you had cancelled the purchase of the frigates, for reasons you never explained, and you stressed that the only way to strengthen our defence and diplomatic position was the purchase of the 18 Rafal, we in good faith, and despite the fact that for 4.5 years as Prime Minister I had never received a recommendation from the staffs for the purchase of Rafals, however we voted in favour of their purchase» he pointed out.
«But it is unacceptable, Mr Mitsotakis, taking advantage of our responsible attitude and demanding a blank cheque» he continued. «Expect us to vote and support your every decision, without any criteria. Like the decision to buy 6 additional Rafale,which everyone - including the staffs - learned about on TV, from the TIF. Without any input, planning and consultation» he explained.
The president of SYRIZA-PS stressed that at a time when the Greek Air Force has been strengthened with the upgrade of the F16 and the purchase of 18 Rafale while Turkey has been excluded from the F35 programme, «we do not understand the feasibility of purchasing an additional 6 aircraft at a cost of one billion for the Greek people. Just as we do not understand your insistence on a scandalous contract for the Aviation Training Centre in Kalamata, which will exceed two billion».
«We cannot play with the billions of the Greek people» he stressed. «We do not ignore the importance of strengthening deterrence, but three billion extra is three billion. Close to 1.5% of GDP. Stop turning national defence into an object of petty exploitation. And stop saying you don't want a return to deficits and flirting with past practices that have led us into fiscal drift. At a time when we are in an unprecedented crisis and the last euro of the Greek taxpayer is necessary to deal with the unprecedented crisis of poverty and shrinking income,» he said.
Al. Tsipras even mentioned that when asked in October whether we can afford the extra Rafals and frigates, Kir. Mitsotakis had replied that we can bear it, because the Rafals will be paid in 2021-22, when we have the escape clause, while the frigates will start to be paid from 2025 onwards. «And we read in the contract that you have brought that the frigates will be paid off from this year. 1 billion 168 million in 2022 that you say there is no fiscal space to help people who cannot pay for electricity» he revealed.
«Don't tell me again, when we ask you to support the Greek society that is suffering from poverty, that we are irresponsible and do not take into account the country's fiscal capacity and the national target of the investment grade. ΔWe cannot be expensive in bran and cheap in flour.» he stressed.
«I'm not advocating not to move on armaments to move on social spending, but I ask for prudence and responsibility, so that we can act in a planned and measured way, both. Not leaving society unprotected, voting here for 7 billion and saying we will not go back to deficits.» he said.
Al. Tsipras also stressed that for the Mitsotakis government Greece is the «last outpost of the West to the East». «For us it has to be a a European pillar of peace, stability and security in our region» he emphasized.
«For you, our geography and our culture require us to be a shield for the rest of Europe against its responsibilities. The history of Greece confirms the benefits of having Greek soldiers fighting in distant wars, in the Sahel or Saudi Arabia, outside the international organizations to which the country belongs. In wars from which other Western powers are withdrawing one by one. For you, Mr Mitsotakis, our history dictates that our country should become a springboard for American operations in the Black Sea, in the midst of the worst Nato-Russian crisis in decades. For you, history dictates that we - the Greeks - must believe that what is good for US interests is automatically good for ours. And let us see again and again how unsuccessful this formula is. You become the first Prime Minister of the post-revolutionary period to give Greek facilities to the American armed forces indefinitely. And before the ink is dry on the deal, the US had withdrawn its support for Eastmed, citing not its economic viability but the tension that the pipeline was creating with Turkey», he stressed.
«For us, our relations with the US can only move forward if they are mutually beneficial. For us, our geography and history dictate that the Greek Armed Forces should be active outside Greece, exclusively and only within the framework of international organizations to which we belong. For history teaches us and the progressive party that procrastinating diplomacy undermines our national interests» he added.
«For me, for us, for the progressive party of the country, Greece's foreign policy is reflected in the Prespa Agreement. For you, Greece's foreign policy is reflected in the indefinite cession of Alexandroupolis to the Americans.. For you, foreign policy is a defense agreement with the US in which you gave land and water without foreign aircraft leaving to operate outside Greece. For us it is the agreement in which Greek F16s and Rafals monitor the airspace of North Macedonia,» he said.
Al. Tsipras noted that the opposition had warned in good time that the doctrine of Turkey's alleged isolation would collapse. «That the sham dialogue with Turkey might suit you politically but it would be to our detriment. We had rightly underlined that Greece had much more to gain by reshaping the diplomatic architecture in its region. Either by linking the revision of the EU-Turkey customs union with the submission of a compromise on the appeal to The Hague on the continental shelf/EEZ,» he said.
«We have long stressed that the Biden election had to be used, not for the temporary benefit of a “calm summer”, or for some friendly statements, but to pressure Turkey to move away from its maximalist positions and commit to a meaningful dialogue with Greece. With clear Greek red lines around Turkey's unacceptable claims of grey zones and demilitarized islands», he continued.
«No one, Mr Mitsotakis, has any illusions that a solution can be found with Turkey in the near future. But can, however, the conditions for a meaningful - and not a sham - dialogue which will lead to a downturn in our relationship. That will help us avoid new arms races, new crises and new nationalist outbursts,» Al. Tsipras.
«But this requires political will, who have had prime ministers who did not hesitate to confront history and put Greek-Turkish relations on the track of dialogue in difficult times. Unfortunately κ. Mitsotakis, you have shown how far you are from these prime ministers.. Prime ministers who knew that the project of Greek history and Greek civilization is not a Greek state that is the last outpost of the West to the East. But a state that will surpass itself and will take Greece and the Greeks forward and higher», he noted.
«The only thing you've accomplished in two and a half years is to turn yourselves from renowned technocrat to administrator of the disaster. The sooner you leave, the better for the Greek people,» concluded the President of SYRIZA-PS.
