PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis is speaking at the ygeiamou.gr Conference. The PM covered a series of issues which included among other things, Ukraine, the Greek Health System, the food and energy crisis, Turkey, etc.

“The only way to get trapped wheat out of Ukraine is by sea. Both Turkey and Greece have a role to play. Let us look at the fields under the direction of the UN, where we can offer service instead of Turkish rhetoric that goes beyond the limits and becomes graphic.

“It is the country’s obligation to seek the support of our allies. We have seen periods in the past with tension in the rhetoric that has to do with the internal situation in Turkey. Greece is ready to defend its national sovereignty.”

The PM continued on the Greek-Turkish relations and his past meeting with Erdogan: “The development is really pleasant, I had the impression after the meeting with Erdogan that there was a framework for reconciliation and no actions will be taken that will provoke the other side. We had a barrage of overflights over Greek islands.”

The PM said the experts were expecting a new wave of the pandemic in Autumn, while he added that there would be no horizontal measures.

Mitsotakis referring to Greek-Turkish relations clarified that the tension does not come from Greece but from Turkey, which is becoming ridiculous with its claims. “This is not the first time that Erdogan has not spoken to me, he had said so even after the events in Evros,” the prime minister said, clarifying that he “does not hold a grudge”.

The Prime Minister described what is happening with Turkey as an “unpleasant development” because “I also had the impression after the meeting with Mr. Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul, we had found a framework of agreement based on the working hypothesis that no actions will be taken that will provoke the other side. Unfortunately, Turkey has not kept that promise.”

“Everyone needs restraint, especially at a time when we have tension with Russia. We do not need additional tensions within the alliance,” he added about Turkey’s stance on the expansion of NATO.

Referring to the pandemic, he said that scientists are warning of a new wave from the fall, but clarified that there will be no horizontal measures.