Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis gave a full interview to the TV channel “Alpha”, at a time when the news are dominated by the course of the pandemic, vaccinations, the prospects of the economy and national issues.
The Prime Minister said:
The return to normalcy will be gradual. I am convinced that we are near the end of the pandemic. 2021 is not 2020. Churches will be open. We will be in Athens, but much more optimistic.
The positivity index decreases. Every week that passes, we build a wall of immunity.
There have been setbacks. But it is unfair to claim that Greece did badly. We had the lockdown on time.
The vast majority of citizens comply with the measures. We do not want the logic of repression . What happened in Nea Smyri was a mistake. It should not have happened.
Let’s be a little more patient. Fines are still coming in. The controls will be strict during the holidays.
Call on everyone to be vaccinated. It is the only way to control the pandemic. The debate on the mandatory vaccination of health workers must be opened, but not now, when the Health System is making a great effort. The debate will begin in the autumn and end before hospitals are burdened, as is always the case at the time, with the flu.
I do not believe that anyone will enter a hospital in the future without wearing a mask.
The limit of compulsory vaccination is strictly limited. No one can fire anyone because of a vaccine.
And the young people, as far as I can see, will respond and they will respond as well. The best vaccine is the fastest. The deniers of the virus are a small minority.
We took a risk with the self test – the system worked very well. We will procure a large number of self tests. Because we do a lot of tests, the positivity of Greece is green.
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The vaccine is completely safe. It is now proven. All drugs have some extremely rare side effects.
The government is talking to the specialists’ commission – but the government is deciding. We agree with them 95 out of 100 times.
The level of public debate about the pandemic is sad. The opposition initially said “no” to the opening of the restaurants, then they said it does not like the way they will be opened. Only Nikos Filis from the opposition got the vaccine and asked everyone to be vaccinated.
For the Economy
Tax cuts and insurance contributions affect everyone – both businesses and employees. They are permanent measures, agreed in the context of economic supervision.
Our first goal is to protect employment. We want the reduction of social inequalities, which will bridge the generation gap in our country. Young people are the first victims of the pandemic.
We will have a strong recovery after the pandemic. We had a recession of 8.2%. But its characteristics are different.
It will look like the end of a war. The wounds will not be as deep as they feel. We will take support measures for the other sectors that have been affected. With the support measures, we invested in human resources.
The country’s debt is sustainable. Otherwise no one would lend us. I have no worries about the amount of public debt.
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A grid of measures for the support of the private debt due to the pandemic will be implemented, but within the framework of what is doable.
The Greek plan for the Recovery Fund concerns everyone and is very good. The first money will come in 2021. The plans will be approved. Our islands, along with Crete, will be among the ones most benefited.
For national issues
The handling of the situation in Ankara by Dendias in Ankara was flawless. We had a lot of discussions on the subject.
We want rules, which are none other than the rules of International Law, in our international relations. It was not his intention to quarrel. The order was not to leave a provocation unanswered.
Greek-Turkish relations are now Euro-Turkish and that is our success.
Our differences are clear, as are the areas of consultation with Turkey. My wish is to find a modus vivendi.
The meeting with Erdogan will take place soon and it should not be news.
