The president of New Democracy, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, held a press conference on Sunday a week before the run-off elections on June 25th.
Mitsotakis focused on a number of topics including immigration, Muslims in Thrace, and Greek-Turkish relations, among other things.
After the tragedy in international waters off Pylos, where tens of immigrants drowned, Mitotakis said the first priority was the limitation of migration flows, while he referred to the actions of his government to limit the effects on the refugee situation and responded to the objections of Alexis Tsipras.
He wondered, why Tsipras insists on targeting the Coast Guard and not these “wretched thugs”, as he characterised the traffickers, while he also spoke of late humanity on the part of the head of SYRIZA, saying that he did not see such humanity for the hell of Moria.
On the issue of the Muslims of Thrace, Mitsotakis underlined that they are Greek citizens and enjoy conditions of equality, adding that the Turkish consulate always wanted an isolated minority.
Commenting on the case of the two Muslim SYRIZA MPs, he stressed that there was a general briefing of Mr. Tsipras long before the elections and then another very specific briefing of the SYRIZA president before May 25, when he was still prime minister. As he pointed out, he received a confidential report from the National Intelligence Service (EYP) on the scope of the Turkish consulate’s intervention in Thrace, which he sent to Alexis Tsipras.
As he insisted, it is up to Mr. Tsipras whether he will keep the two MPs – Ozgiur and Zeibek – on his ballot papers.
Greek-Turkish relations
Mitsotakis mentioned that he will have the opportunity to see Tayyip Erdogan in Vilnius, while he added that the tension in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean may gradually decrease, even if the differences between the two countries are not bridged. As for armaments, he emphasised that Turkey does not have the ability to dictate to Greece what purchases it will make.
The new migration and asylum pact
There is an initial agreement in the European Council, said Mr. Mitsotakis, stressing that what has been agreed is better than Dublin and satisfies permanent Greek positions, however, there are many points that can be improved.
He also spoke about an organised policy of economic immigration, as Greece and Europe need workers. It should be done on our own terms, he said, talking about legal immigration, but also humanitarian visas from Europe to immigrants coming from war zones.
What will the next ND government be like
“As long as the Greek people trust us”, said the president of the ND, “it will be a government of hard work and measurable results. The result of the previous ballot is a great burden, a great responsibility of the mandate given to me by the Greek people.”
“We will emphasise the ability of persons to serve the policies to which we are committed”, Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed, when asked if he will also utilise persons from the Center-Left. “For me, the ideological sign is not so important”, he said.
The scenario of third elections
“I am sure that an absolute majority government will emerge from the June 25 elections”, Mr. Mitsotakis underlined. He called out the president of PASOK, Nikos Androulakis, for an irresponsible stance, saying that an absolute majority is the only way, as he does not intend to cooperate with smaller parties to the right of the ND.
What will be done with the NHS?
“Citizens have the right to public, free quality health care”, underlined Mr. Mitsotakis, saying that he will personally deal with the reform of the NHS, which endured during the pandemic, but also highlighted its striking weaknesses. An amount of 1.5 billion euros, 8% of the resources available to us from the Recovery Fund, will be directed towards Health, he underlined.
Responding to Alexis Tsipras’ criticism of the privatisation of Health, Mr. Mitsotakis described as insulting what is said about screening patients (cancer patients) in the final stage and referred to the policies implemented for the cases of these patients, with access to expensive anti-cancer drugs.
“If we have to use beds in private clinics”, we will do it, he said.
