The meeting between farmers and Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the Maximos Mansion tomorrow (13/1) at noon is hanging in the balance, as the so-called “hard” blockades disagree with the committees representing them.

More specifically, the Maximos Mansion agreed to receive two different delegations of 20 people each: one with farmers at 13:00, and another immediately afterward with representatives of livestock breeders, beekeepers and fishermen, as well as farmers from Crete and from the “Green Lights” area of Thessaloniki.

The government requested that individuals with pending criminal cases not participate in the delegation. The representatives of the blockades, however, appear to insist on the participation of more people, including the president of the Magnesia livestock breeders, Giorgos Terzakis, who smashed the windshield of a police vehicle with his shepherd’s crook and is facing prosecution.

However, the “hard” blockade of Nikaia has sent the message that it will not attend the meeting at the Maximos Mansion, demanding that 25–35 representatives of the farming community be present at each meeting.

At the same time, government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis stressed that “the prime minister does not operate under ultimatums,” while clarifying that those who do not believe in a solution do not come to the dialogue.

As he explained, two consecutive meetings have been scheduled, since “they did not want to be in the meeting with certain others,” adding that “the government, and even more so the prime minister, cannot operate under ultimatums.”

According to Mr. Marinakis, the government’s goal is to engage in dialogue with all representatives of the primary sector. For this reason, one meeting is planned with one group of representatives of the mobilizations, as requested, and a second meeting with those whom the first group does not wish to participate in the same process.

The government spokesperson also emphasized that, for security reasons, the names of participants are expected, noting that in order for the discussion to be constructive, a maximum limit of 20 people per meeting has been set.

“We have made it clear that it cannot be a festival where nothing gets resolved,” he said characteristically, noting that if there is a response, the prime minister and the government team are ready to receive the farmers’ representatives, most likely tomorrow at noon.

Meanwhile, representatives of the nationwide blockade committee say that, based on the current data, they will not go to the meeting with Mitsotakis, while final decisions are expected to be taken in the afternoon, within the framework of general assemblies.

Indicative of the climate is the statement by Rizos Maroudas, president of the United Federation of Agricultural Associations of Larissa, who told ERT that “if all 35 of us do not go to tomorrow’s meeting, the tendency is not to go at all.”

It should be noted that even if the farmers do not go to the Maximos Mansion and the first meeting scheduled for 13:00 does not take place, this does not mean that the second meeting with the other committee will not be held.