Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, when asked about the article in the newspaper, Documento, regarding the wiretapping case, in an interview he gave to the ANT1 television station and journalist Nikos Hatzinikolaou.
«Is there really a single Greek who believes—who actually believes—that I was monitoring the foreign minister and the finance minister without any evidence or proof? This is a disgrace and a scandal,» Mr. Mitsotakis pointed out emphatically, noting that the publisher of Documento, Kostas Vaxevanis, would prove to be a threat to national security if he did not provide the courts with evidence regarding the information published in his newspaper. «Political debate must not sink to this level; I have never claimed that there is no surveillance or that there is no center operating the malicious »Predator’ software, but that is very different from accusing the prime minister of orchestrating this surveillance. “I don’t know who is carrying out the surveillance; we need to find out. It is not the EYP that handles malicious software, and I have no involvement whatsoever,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized, and reiterated that Greece will be the first country to explicitly ban the use of malicious software.
Mr. Mitsotakis accused the president of SYRIZA, Alexis Tsipras, of being behind Kostas Vaxevanis, emphasizing that his strategy is to drag the country through the mud. The prime minister spoke of slander and compared this particular case to the Novartis case, saying characteristically: «It’s the same case, I tell you—we’re seeing the same story with the same instigators.» He also noted that another goal of the SYRIZA leadership is to sow discord within New Democracy and challenged Mr. Tsipras to go to Parliament and table a motion of no confidence, so that he might receive, as he put it, a resounding response from New Democracy MPs.
When asked about this, the prime minister made it clear that he does not accept the conditions set by the leader of the official opposition party for the smooth conduct of the elections, as he himself stated, accusing him of challenging one of the most important achievements of the post-dictatorship era: the peaceful transfer of power. «He is following the same tactics as populists in other parts of the world,» Mr. Mitsotakis noted, and insisted: «It is my duty to lead the country safely forward and not allow it to sink into the mire.» When asked whether political developments were being rushed, he replied that «the elections will take place as I have said, on the 23rd, at the end of the four-year term,» warning that «I will not be dragged into political developments by professional blackmailers; the country has a constitution.» Kyriakos Mitsotakis reaffirmed his commitment, stating, «We are doing everything possible to get to the bottom of this matter; it is not an easy task—technically, it is not that simple.» Regarding the Patsis case, Mr. Mitsotakis admitted that «obviously, the selection process for this particular individual was problematic,» announcing that stricter screening measures would be implemented in the future. In fact, he spoke in favor of reforming the system for declaring sources of wealth with a view to modernizing it.
Neither the government nor I yield to pressure, nor are we subject to blackmail
Regarding the statements made last night by Yiannis Vrentzos, a member of the Olympiacos FC board of directors, following the soccer match between Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, the prime minister wondered where the «criminal organization‘ mentioned by the Olympiacos official was when the team had won the championship by clear margins for the past three years. In fact, Mr. Mitsotakis stated that “some people have confused their roles; some believe that because they own a team, or because they control certain media outlets—or both—they can blackmail, dictate to the government, and undermine it. We must make it clear that everyone’s roles are absolutely clear: the government has popular legitimacy; we are elected by the people; we want businesspeople to be partners in the country’s progress, but they are neither our subordinates nor agents of their own interests who pressure the government to do their bidding. So the message I am sending in every direction is that neither the government nor I accept pressure, nor do we become the targets of blackmail—and I am not referring only to this specific case; I am speaking in general terms.
The household basket was designed to help households cope with rising prices
Regarding the cost-of-living crisis, which is plaguing households and businesses, Kyriakos Mitsotakis pointed out that this crisis is imported, «it’s Putin’s inflation, not Mitsotakis’s,» as he pointedly noted in response to the opposition’s accusations on the matter. Regarding the household assistance package, the prime minister emphasized that it was introduced to help households cope with rising prices and that so far it has had a positive impact on the market.
When asked why the government is not moving forward with reducing the VAT on certain basic necessities, Mr. Mitsotakis reiterated that the government does not favor this specific measure because, as he said, «no one can guarantee that the reduction will actually reach the consumer,” noting also that such a move would also benefit those who do not truly need it.
When asked whether government intervention to lower the price of diesel fuel was imminent, the prime minister replied: «I’m not ready to tell you yet; we’ll see what options we have. Whatever we do will be done very carefully and thoughtfully, as we cannot deviate from the budget. When we are ready, you will hear about it from the relevant authorities.».
In the coming days, we will begin natural gas exploration
On the subject of domestic issues, and specifically Greek-Turkish relations, Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated that he does not engage in daily verbal exchanges with the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. «We have expressed our positions firmly and clearly; I conveyed them to Mr. Erdoğan in Prague. All of this also has a domestic dimension in light of the Turkish elections, but there is also revisionism, which is being countered with firmness and consistency through international law, the building of alliances, and the strengthening of our deterrent capability.”.
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Regarding a possible extension of our territorial waters to 12 nautical miles south of Crete, Kyriakos Mitsotakis made it clear that «we will do so whenever and however we deem it appropriate, at the time we deem it appropriate,» adding that «all those who criticize us have done nothing about it.» Regarding the Turkish-Libyan memorandum, he noted that no one recognizes it and confirmed that Athens wants to reach out to Libya to demarcate our respective EEZs, so that we can explore the prospect of jointly exploiting natural resources with Libya. In fact, the prime minister revealed that very soon, in one or two days, as he specifically noted, seismic surveys will begin for natural gas extraction in the two blocks southwest of the Peloponnese and Crete by ExxonMobil, a development that will contribute to the energy security of the wider region. Mr. Mitsotakis also confirmed that the sale of the port of Alexandroupolis has been called off, as, due to its great strategic importance, it was determined that it must remain under state control.
Regarding the country’s position on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the prime minister noted that our stance in support of the defending nation sends a message to all those who harbor imperialist fantasies.
Simple proportional representation: a recipe for instability
Finally, when asked about the matter, the prime minister reiterated that he does not believe in pure proportional representation and that it is a source of instability. He also expressed his optimism that the second round of voting could result in a self-sufficient New Democracy government, which, as he said, would not be a single-party government. «The dilemma is whether we move forward or backward; nothing we have achieved can be taken for granted,» he said emphatically.
