“I do not share the pessimism about the end of Europe. I believe that Europe is finding the strength to regenerate and adapt to the new geopolitical conditions,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an interview with ERT’s analytical news bulletin and Apostolos Mangiriadis, three days before the European elections on 9 June. The discussion took place on the frigate “Kimon” at the Naval Group’s facilities in Lorian, France.

Asked whether he shares President Macron’s fear that “Europe is in danger of dying”, whether he believes that the key stakes for Europe in the next five years are its strategic autonomy, and as to how he places Greece in this debate, he stressed, in particular:

“Today we are celebrating the 80th anniversary of the greatest military operation in history, the Normandy Landing, in which Greek forces participated, at the beginning of the end for Nazi Germany – fascist Italy had already been defeated. And I think a constant reminder that in today’s times no geopolitical and geostrategic naivety is justified.

We live in turbulent times. I do not share the pessimism about the end of Europe. I believe that Europe is finding the strength to regenerate and adapt to new geopolitical conditions.

But what President Macron and I (President Macron and I) would have been the first to talk about the need for Europe’s strategic autonomy even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I believe that this approach to Europe’s new role today is justified – and this of course also requires more trans-European cooperation.

It is no coincidence that we chose to build our ships in a French shipyard with the added value – I mean that – of the shipyards as well, as this ship consists of nine blocks, one of which comes from Elefsina.

And this also demonstrates the dynamics that the Greek shipyards sector can also gain, which is now modernising, has come out of the decades-long doldrums it had been in and can also add significant added value.

We are not only interested in building a ship in France. We are interested in adding value to Greek businesses and creating Greek jobs.

The Prime Minister also said at the beginning of the discussion, “First of all, let me say that today is an important moment for me, as it is the first time I have been given the opportunity to visit the Naval Group shipyard.

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We are on board the frigate “Kimon”, one of the three state-of-the-art Belhara frigates that will have joined our Navy by 2026.

We are talking about the most modern ships that will sail in the Mediterranean, a result of the strategic partnership that Greece has with France and a very important investment, the most important in recent decades in terms of upgrading our Navy.

I would say that this ship adds to a very glorious history of important Greek ships that have proudly hoisted the blue and white flag.”