On Antonis Samaras

“Whatever I had to say, I have said so far. Ask me again if he forms a party.”

No possibility of a government with Latinopoulou and Velopoulos

“The people will decide what the next government will be.”

The Greek people will indicate, with their collective wisdom, what the next government will be. I have served as a minister in a coalition government with PASOK. I had a deputy minister from PASOK and we had excellent cooperation. But here PASOK holds conferences, and the only thing I have not seen is for them to make T-shirts saying “never with New Democracy.”

On a single-party majority

“There has not been, in the post-dictatorship era, after two four-year terms, a governing party with such a large lead over the second party. The second and third parties combined do not add up to New Democracy’s percentage.”

“The last thing we should project is a certain confidence that we are more or less irreplaceable.”

Marinakis expressed a personal view; he is an excellent government spokesman

“We have an excellent government spokesman. He is in a special position because he expresses the government’s positions. I know that sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the government’s position from a personal position. Pavlos Marinakis understood this, and I surround him with trust for the excellent work he is doing.”

Window open for an emergency reduction in the Special Consumption Tax

Kyriakos Mitsotakis left open the possibility of reducing the Special Consumption Tax, but only as an emergency and time-limited measure.

“I would do it as an emergency measure for a specific period. It cannot become a permanent measure, because it creates a very large hole in public finances,” he clarified.

Mitsotakis on refineries: “They are making profits and must contribute”

The Prime Minister also sent a clear message to the refineries, noting that it is important that they are coming to the discussion on containing prices. “They are making profits themselves, but they should also contribute,” he said.

Asked whether the alternative would be to tax them, he explained why he prefers their direct contribution: “Rather than put money into the state coffers, I prefer to return it where it belongs.”

No unemployment benefit will be cut

“It is an insurance-based, contributory right. We have carried out a major reform; it is important to receive more at the beginning, when you need it. We also have the employment benefit with the 50% subsidy. If someone is offered jobs and refuses them, then they should not receive unemployment benefit. The framework is clear, but this discussion is taking place in a labor market that is very different. Unemployment is at 7.9%, not at the 18% it once was.”

We do not have Bulgarian wages, but Portuguese wages

“According to Eurostat: We do not have Bulgarian wages, but Portuguese wages. This actual picture provided by Eurostat shows that we are not experiencing an economic miracle, nor are we first, nor are we last; we are in the middle. The picture of absolute dismissal presented by the opposition is not helpful. It would be much more credible if it acknowledged the progress that has been made.”

Our program is fully costed

“Our program is costed down to the last euro. At the Thessaloniki International Fair, I spoke about a four-year term. We have growth higher than the EU average, we have surpluses, and we need them. We have a prosperity surplus that must be returned to citizens.”

Greece will not face another debt crisis

Mitsotakis: Heating oil below €1.75

Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced an intervention to ensure that heating oil goes on sale at a price significantly below €1.75, saying that specific measures would be presented next week by the Ministry of National Economy and Finance and the Ministry of Environment and Energy.

In his interview with ERT, the Prime Minister also described the scenario the government wants to prevent: without any intervention, he said, heating oil would go on sale on October 15 at €2 per liter. “That is not acceptable to the government,” he stressed, making it the first priority “to ensure that our citizens do not get cold this winter.”

“Much lower than €1.75”

Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced a two-pronged intervention, both from the government and from the refineries. “Next week, specific announcements will be made by both the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Environment,” he said, adding that “there will be support for heating oil from both the government and the refineries.”

He even expressed confidence in the outcome: “I am sure that heating oil will open at a price much lower than €1.75.”

A cap on profit margins also on the table

The Prime Minister also made clear that an across-the-board increase in the heating allowance is not, by itself, a solution, since the allowance covers different categories of consumers and not only those who heat their homes with oil.

However, he revealed that another intervention is being considered: reinstating a cap on profit margins.

The goal, as he explained, is to ensure that government intervention is passed through the entire chain, from trading to filling stations, and ultimately into the price paid by the consumer.

“We will support Greek society”

Kyriakos Mitsotakis placed the cost of heating at the top of the problems caused by energy pressures, making clear that the government will intervene to support households.

At the same time, he defended the logic of maintaining fiscal reserves, noting that the government must proceed carefully “because we do not know what lies ahead.”

On the international economic environment/bond market

“Greece, in an environment of international turmoil, is the exception—we are safer than other countries, we borrow more cheaply than Italy and France—we are also secure in terms of fuel supply.”

Mitsotakis: National intervention on heating oil

Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on ERT a national intervention concerning heating oil, with the relevant announcements expected next week.

As he said, there will be significant support from both the government and the refineries, so that the opening price of heating oil will be below €1.75, the level at which it closed last year.

At the same time, he announced an across-the-board increase in the heating allowance, the reinstatement of the cap on profit margins, and an extension of the intervention to diesel for October as well.

Mitsotakis: “The sea is getting a little rough” – Message to Turkey over cable and 12 nautical miles

Kyriakos Mitsotakis acknowledged the “relative deterioration” in Turkish rhetoric in recent months in his interview with ERT, characteristically noting that “the sea is getting a little rough now” and at the same time sending a clear message to Ankara: “We do not threaten anyone, but we do not accept being threatened by anyone either.”

The Prime Minister put the issue of the 12 nautical miles and the cable in the same context, saying developments on the latter were imminent, speaking of coordination with France and calling on Turkey to understand that “putting up obstacles is not something that will benefit it.” At the same time, he left open until the last moment the possibility of a meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

“The sea is getting a little rough”

Kyriakos Mitsotakis noted that several of the positions currently being expressed by Turkish officials have also been expressed in the past, distinguishing between the “calm waters” and Turkish rhetoric.

“We are confronting these challenges with confidence and with the certainty that international law is on our side,” he said. He also reiterated the message he had sent from Kastellorizo, stressing that strengthening Greece’s defense constitutes “defensive fortification.” “We do not threaten anyone, but we do not accept being threatened by anyone either,” he made clear.

Cable: Developments “soon” – Coordination with France

The Prime Minister placed particular emphasis on the cable, answering “soon” when asked when the project would begin.

He linked the next steps to the decision by the French company to participate and acquire a majority stake in the project, noting that this signals the investment fund’s intention, “with the support of the French government,” to move the project forward.

This was followed by a message to Ankara: “Turkey must also understand that in a sea that is interconnected, putting up obstacles is not something that will benefit it.” Kyriakos Mitsotakis added that “obviously there is coordination with the French side regarding our next steps.”

What he said about the 12 nautical miles

Regarding the extension of territorial waters to 12 nautical miles, the Prime Minister was clear: “The right to extend to 12 miles is guaranteed under international law. This is something that cannot be legally disputed.” “Greece can exercise it when it considers the circumstances appropriate,” he added.

Meeting with Erdoğan remains open until the last moment

Regarding the possibility of a meeting with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said that at present there is no scheduled one-on-one meeting, as it is not certain that their schedules will coincide.

He did not, however, close the door: “I know that such a meeting can often be arranged at the last minute. I do not rule anything out.”

“With Turkey, we are neighbors. That will never change. Geography is a given and unavoidable,” he said, adding that Greece seeks good relations with Turkey and describing the Athens Declaration as “an organized framework for dialogue.”

On Floridis’ statements about political deadlock and Greek-Turkish relations

“Mr. Floridis said, in his own way, something that I have also said. It is very important that after the elections we have a government and a stable government. The only realistic governing proposal is a single-party New Democracy government. All the opposition parties have ruled out any possibility of cooperation.”

On the Electricity Interconnection

“It will start soon. It is a project also financed by Europe; Turkey putting up barriers is not the best response. There is coordination with the French side; the project is no longer only Greek but also French.”

On the 12 nautical miles

“The right to extend territorial waters is guaranteed; Greece can exercise it whenever it considers it necessary.”

On Turkish provocations

“We do not threaten anyone. Greece has been greatly strengthened in recent years, but our direction is defensive. However, we do not accept anyone threatening us either. There has been a relative deterioration in Turkish rhetoric lately. It appears that the sea is getting a little rough. We address these statements—occasionally provocative—with the certainty and confidence provided by international law.

“With Turkey, we are neighbors; that will not change. Our relations must be determined by geography. The Athens Declaration was a framework for dialogue, and even during periods of tension, it allows open channels of communication to remain available.”

Possibility of a meeting with Erdoğan

“Our schedules will not coincide at the UN General Assembly in New York,” the Prime Minister said, adding, however, that “it is not ruled out.”

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is gave his first interview since the Thessaloniki International Fair today, Thursday, on ERT’s Central News Bulletin, with Panagiotis Stathis.

The Prime Minister answered the key questions of current affairs, with attention focused on Greek-Turkish relations, the economy, the international energy crisis, and the political landscape as it takes shape ahead of the national elections in spring 2027.