Regarding Greece’s procurement of three French Belharra frigates – which is essentially the centrepiece of the agreement - Mitsotakis stressed that the deal secured for Greece “the best possible price with the greatest possible speed [of delivery]”.
Bogdanos even marshaled ultra-nationalist Georgios “Digenis Grivas, who was the founder of the Nazi-linked ultra-nationalist X Organisation in 1941, and much later of EOKA B, which played a key role in event’s leading to the coup attempt of President Makarios in July, 1974.
The two leaders presented the agreements as a substantial step toward the much touted EU defence autonomy and ended a joint press conference at Elysee Palace with beaming smiles and raised clasped hands, signalling the importance of the deals for both sides.
“I have no desire to engage in an arms race with Turkey. This is not my intention. There are, however, crucial issues regarding the modernisation of the armed forces, following the decade-long [economic] crisis, which I have the responsibility to handle and hand over to my successor,' the PM said.
The PM reiterated his core belief in the need for tertiary education to be linked to the labour market, so that graduates may more easily find employment and in order to boost the competitiveness of the economy.
Elpidophoros issued a lengthy statement in which he said he stands by the Greek Cypriot people and their just cause and that just as the Cypriots after the 1974 invasion and occupation became refugees in their own land, he and his family too were uprooted from their home in Istanbul.
The government, is obliged to disburse the “social dividend” that it has promised, and proceed with implementing the reforms on the basis of which it was elected. It must manage the problems that exist in the daily lives of citizens, as must anyone who rules.
'The best thing we can do is to combine wearing masks and frequent testing in order to ensure that schools will open with the greatest possible degree of safety, but they must be augmented by a rise in the rate of vaccination.,' the PM said.
Draghi and Mitsotakis confirmed the exceptionally good relations between the two countries and the prospect of deepening cooperation on both the bilateral and regional levels, with an emphasis on economic ties.
The idea of approaching Stylianides was the prime minister’s, as he found in him a man who is suitable for pursuing his objectives and has the necessary technocratic experience. The two kept in touch even after Stylianides left the Commission in 2019.
Certainly, there is a possibility that those who expect early elections will be proven wrong, especially if the opinion of well-informed sources that Mitsotakis’ projection of a 5.9 percent growth rate is conservative.
As the government plans its policies to achieve a broader appeal among youth, the entire political system should work together on a path toward reconnecting them with politics and ensuring their participation in the democratic process.
Resorting to snap elections is a tactic with which we are well acquainted, as it was utilised by almost all prime ministers since 1974 in order for the outgoing government to control the timing and hence the narrative of the elections.
Mitsotakis said there is no possibility of reaching any consensus with main opposition SYRIZA, for which he blamed main opposition leader Alexis Tsipras, and that he seeks consensus only with the Greek people.
Mitsotakis’ expected announcement will come just two days after US President Joe Biden announced compulsory vaccination of all federal workers and federal contractors, as well as of workers at companies with 100 or more employees.
The vaccine is safe and effective. Already 130,000 children between the ages 12-17 have already been vaccinated with the consent of their parents,” the PM said in a tweet.
Now, the government is declaring that it is leaving behind the reshuffle fiasco and will focus primarily on the economy, an area in which it believes that it has an advantage and can perform beyond all expectation.
“History never pities those who do not recognise that in life there are values that are more important than fleeting offices,” SYRIZA sources said, wishing Apostalakis “good luck”, with more than a touch of irony.
It is hardly the first time for a Greek government to appoint as minister a cadre of the main opposition. Such moves are designed to signal a broadening of the ruling party’s ideological and electoral base.
Chrisohoidis, until now Citizen’s Protection Minister, will be replaced by Takis Theodorikakos. A seasoned pollster, former interior minister Theodorikakos had been credited in part for PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ rise to power.
The question now is to what extent the government can be reborn and renew itself so as to transcend the crisis of confidence caused by the catastrophic fires and the insecurity they stirred in the public.
In a thinly veiled comparison with SYRIZA’s handling of the 2018 Mati wildfire in which 102 people died, the PM said that the government’s handling of the month’s wild saved lives.
A major operation at Evros is in full swing and that includes the building of a 38-kilometre-long wall with a height of between three and five metres
“Athens’ argument is that cooperation with Ankara is necessary because the two countries and the broader region may suffer serious repercussions from a huge refugee flow from Afghanistan and so they are confronted with the same problem,” Greek government sources say.
Mitsotakis has upgraded minister Akis Skertsos to the post of Statewide Minister, co-equal to the current State Minister Yorgos Gerapetritis.
On orders of the Fire Department, the area of Thrakomakedones is being evacuated according to Aharnes Mayor Spiros Vrettos, who issued a plea for more aerial forces to contain the fire.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who understood that the only way to change the country and to begin transcending its dysfunctions is to have constant movement at all levels – economic, educational, social and national.
Instead of engaging in self-criticism and trying to contribute to a productive and civilised political competition, top cadres of main opposition SYRIZA continue to cultivate hatred and polarisation.
Education Minister Niki Kerameus recently announced that 73 percent of educators have already been vaccinated or have booked an appointment, even as she urged the rest to follow suit.
Putting to rest scenarios of restaurants, bars and cafes having a mixed clientele of vaccinated and unvaccinated customers, the PM said that wearing masks indoors and in cinemas will be compulsory.
A better and more rational health policy, the merging of institutions, and a more effective distribution of hospitals by region are all urgent matters given current public health conditions.
The initial reaction of experts and the government was to push vaccination with all possible means, including a somewhat belated campaign of public interest messages regarding the need for vaccination and its advantages.
As regards the overall evaluation of the record of the government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis,Two years into his term and 15 months after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the government enjoys a 53.7 percent approval rating,
Experts believe the advent of the COVID-19 Delta variant is one of the main reasons that the Greek vaccine rollout (Operation Freedom) must be expedited with the aim of building an effective wall of immunity within 60 days.
Over the last decades Greece and Turkey had alternating periods of lesser or greater tensions. Hence, a coldly calculated approach to diplomacy is one of the greatest advantages and the Greek side should cultivate it.
The two leaders reportedly discussed the migration-refugee issue and the Greek side underlined that the two countries can cooperate as long as the type of provocations we saw in March, 2020, are avoided.
If privileges for vaccinated citizens can be used as a tool to advance understanding among those who are still reluctant to be vaccinated, then they are not only just – they are necessary.
The further laxening of restrictive public health measures includes lifting the ban on playing music at restaurants, cafeterias, and bars and delaying the 12:30 am curfew until 1:30 am.
Circumstances necessitate that we see this Summit as a restart of NATO, with Greece as an organic member, after the erratic Trump administration.
Ruthless murderers lurking out there are acting with impunity as they weave a “black suit” for a society already sorely tested by an over decade-long economic crisis that brought with it social disaster.
In view of the upcoming tourist season and a new sense of normalcy, the PM’s visit to the Dodecanese island of Astyplaaia yesterday could well serve as a trailer to promote Greece in the coming period.
The public’s anxiety is recorded in the latest opinion polls (such as MRB’s), as a majority of respondents believe that the country has a serious crime problem and that the level of security is not very high.
The main obstacle to an understanding has been the fact that over the decades Ankara has vastly expanded its claims against Greece, ranging from territorial claims to Turkey’s efforts to encroach on Greece’s (and Cyprus’) EEZ.
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s five-hour visit to Thrace today naturally once again included references to a “Turkish minority”, including during his visit with the two illegal muftis of Thrace.
It was the founder of Mr. Mitsotakis’s New Democracy Party, the late Constantine Karamanlis, who shepherded Greece into the European Community with the support of France and Germany.
The government has repeatedly underlined that the plan aims to reduce the percentage of NPEs (non-performing exposures) to a single-digit number by 2022 at latest.
'I have said that our objective is to ensure safe Easter holidays and a free [of public health restrictions] summer. That is why we should not travel for Easter,' the PM said in a nationally televised statement.
Ο πρωθυπουργός, Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης, είχε συνομιλία με τον Αρχιεπίσκοπο Αθηνών και Πάσης Ελλάδος κ.κ. Ιερώνυμο, στο περιθώριο των εγκαινίων της επετειακής έκθεσης της Βουλής για τα 200 χρόνια από την Επανάσταση του 1821, για τη λειτουργία των ναών το Πάσχα, με τήρηση όλων των υγειονομικών μέτρων
The state appears to be moving swiftly to find the murderers of journalist Yorgos Karaivaz and put them on trial. It is crucial that the government’s resolve not remain a rhetorical flourish.
Despite Greece’s “great potential”, many are staying for weeks, not months, because of problems ranging from slow WiFi to inflexible visa rules, said David Williams, CEO of global housing marketplace NomadX.
The ministry of digital governance with the health ministry will develop a cell phone app that will allow people to receive in digital form prescriptions and referrals for medical exams.
The EU Pandemic Recovery Fund is not just a final hope. It is a first class opportunity for reforms that will allow the country to begin its third century of independence dynamically.
The Dendias-Cavusoglu talks were discussed during political consultations between Greece and Turkey held parallel to ongoing exploratory talks.
A disciplined implementation of public health measures against COVID-19 transmission is the only way for a speedy return to normalcy.
One of the most important lessons from the pandemic, as the PM put it in an article of his that Ta Nea has published today, is the valuable, decisive, and irreplaceable role of the state.
The Greek side must remain devoted to its line, ring the alarm bells when necessary, and come to the table of exploratory talks with determination.
Mr. Mitsotakis' proposal for the establishment of a common European certificate for SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in theory sounds simple but what is simple in theory is often difficult in practice.
Nikolas Yatromanolakis is the first openly gay cabinet minister in Greek history and that is no small thing. It is a bold, completely destigmatising move that sends a message to various quarters.
The PM right now has the opportunity to set the tone and to lay the groundwork for the changes that he wants, as a reshuffle for show or merely on paper is simply unacceptable.
The PM dismissed accusations that the government's failure to impose tighter strictures on summer tourism such as requiring a COVID-19 four days prior to travelers' departure.
Perhaps the thorniest decision is whether and on what terms to to allow the country's thousands of Greek Orthodox churches to conduct Christmas services.
Once the framework for a rebound of the economy is decided, it will be necessary to urgently fashion a flexible, modern, and citizen-friendly state and public administration.
One month after the big Samos earthquake 400 people are still living in containers or hotels and 2,300 buildings have been deemed seriously damaged but inhabitable.
Patras' Mayor Kostas Peletidis,told the PM that the celebrations are organised by the diocese and that the municipality is responsible only for preventing the annual outdoors bazaar.
Chrisohoidis deployed an army of 5,000 policemen throughout Athens to prevent any commemorative gathering or march, shutting down all the streets in the capital's centre.
The experience of the first wave of the pandemic proved that citizens themselves possess the strongest weapon to confront the pandemic,that we have the power to transcend our flaws
Mitsotakis underlined the importance of tourism cooperation between the countries of the group, which all have a relatively limited COVID-19 case load.
'We have to stop this [COVID-19] wave. The 50 ICU beds that we added to Sotiria Hospital [donated by the Greek Parliament], at this rate could be filled in three to four days,' Mitsotakis said.
Health Minister Vasilis Kikilias in announcing the one-month lockdown said the epidemiological data are worsening as the spread of the virus has become much more aggressive.
There have been countless incidents of violence over the years on university campuses that have been addressed with knee-jerk, timid, and ineffective initiatives.
The government committed itself to reforms back in 2019 and Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ pledge to carry out great reforms is what earned him the trust of citizens well before the current storm.
Ankara has for years challenged and has attempted to encroach on Athens’ search-and-rescue area on the ground but never in such a formal and sweeping manner.
"The European Council reaffirms its conclusions of 1-2 October 2020 and deplores renewed unilateral and provocative actions by Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, including recent exploratory activities."
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