On Saturday afternoon, Kyriakos Mitsotakis toured the facilities of the 88th TIF–Helexpo, with Germany being the guest of honor this year.
Among other stops, the Prime Minister visited the recycling, environment, and ecosystem protection booth, followed by a demonstration of drones by the Greek Army.
He then met with a group of young people and commented on the performance of football teams. Jokingly, he said, “Olympiacos is good, PAOK is good, but I’ll make my predictions in March,” according to ThessToday.
Later, after trying some zucchini pie, the Prime Minister also sampled a beer, saying “Cheers” to the representatives of the booth, who offered him a refreshing break during his tour.
He also met with bronze Olympic rowing medalist Petros Gaidatzis, offering his congratulations for the athlete’s achievement at the Paris Olympics.
Next, Mitsotakis visited Germany’s booth, the guest country of this year’s Thessaloniki International Fair, where he played foosball at the Leipzig booth, a sister city of Thessaloniki.
In the morning, he had a bilateral meeting with the German Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, at a hotel in Thessaloniki before the official opening of the 88th TIF. They discussed European and bilateral issues, with a focus on the economy, energy, and migration.
Habeck congratulated Mitsotakis on the performance of the Greek economy. The Prime Minister noted that Greece had the second-highest growth rate in the EU in the second quarter of 2024 and reiterated his goal to further increase the disposable income of Greek citizens.
Regarding climate change, Mitsotakis emphasized that Europe needs to do more to adapt to climate change and address natural disasters. On energy matters, he highlighted the need for more European energy networks and interconnections, pointing out market distortions affecting electricity prices. On migration, he reiterated that Greece is implementing a strict but fair immigration policy.
Afterward, Mitsotakis attended the official opening of the TIF, where he was welcomed by Apostolos Tzitzikostas. Following the ceremony, the Prime Minister tasted local delicacies and then entered the TIF administration building for a meeting with his team and the Helexpo Board of Directors.
He continued his tour of the exhibition booths, including those of ERT (Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation) and the Armed Forces, officially welcoming Robert Habeck.
Μετά την τελετή εγκαινίων της έκθεσης, ο πρωθυπουργός δοκίμασε τοπικά εδέσματα και στη συνέχεια εισήλθε στο κτίριο διοίκησης της ΔΕΘ όπου συσκέφθηκε με το επιτελείο του και το Διοικητικό Συμβούλιο της ΔΕΘ-HELEXPO.
Ακολούθως, περιηγήθηκε σε περίπτερα της Έκθεσης (ΕΡΤ και Ενόπλων Δυνάμεων, μεταξύ άλλων) και καλωσόρισε επίσημα τον Ρόμπερτ Χάμπεκ.
