The special salary scale, also adjusted for the Armed Forces from January 1, 2024, was announced by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his speech in Parliament during the discussion of the draft law of the Ministry of National Defense “Care for the personnel of the Armed Forces”. rationalization of the legislation on the Armed Forces, the organization of the National Guard and other provisions.

The Prime Minister began his speech by referring to the devastating earthquakes in Turkey, Greece’s aid to a neighboring country, and the communication he and MD Katerina Sakellaropoulou had with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan. “Turkey is facing an unprecedented disaster. The first C-130 has already arrived in Turkey, but there is no doubt that more mobilization will be required from the international community,” the prime minister said, adding that “every such a major natural disaster reminds us that, as a nation, we must invest in civil defense structures. “.

Then – and referring to the death of two Greek Air Force pilots in the fatal Phantom, stating that the bill is being discussed in the shadow of this unfortunate accident – ​​he emphasized: “I am here to talk about two legislative initiatives that should unite political forces.” “One regulates the important issues of the executive branch of the ID, the second comes to the defense of democratic normality from its enemies. First of all, we are talking about the settlement of acute issues related to the career and salary of the leaders of the Armed Forces,” he added.

Developing the provisions of the draft law of the Ministry of Defense, the Prime Minister said that in relation to the Armed Forces, “compensation and specialized personnel for the disposal of explosive devices are added to the already provided financial assistance, but also cancels the old deduction in favor of the military.” “Merchant Marine academy graduates will be automatically transferred to the Navy to serve their terms there, and the National Guard is also modernizing the training of its members by opening its ranks to women. We will soon introduce additional legislation for EPOD,” said Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

“These measures reflect the attitude of the state government towards the military, from their health to their financial well-being,” the prime minister continued and added: “I am talking about concrete and tangible actions aimed at protecting their salaries, which are still at a low level according to compared to the mission they are performing. This government introduced an exemption from taxation of flight and other allowances. In the midst of multiple crises, we are doing what we can and what the resilience of our country allows. We are striving for the personnel of the Armed Forces. Yes, from 01.01.24 the salary scale for the Armed Forces will also be adjusted.”

“The people voted for the representatives, not for the strikers”

Then, addressing the official leader of the opposition, the Prime Minister said: “Mr. Tsipras, you voted against the budget of the Armed Forces, because defense is not an end in itself, is it? You will not vote today either, because you have made an unprecedented decision not to vote in which hundreds of thousands of citizens are interested. This is a choice that not only offends Democracy and the Constitution, but also those who voted for you to represent them. The people voted for the representatives, not for the strikers,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized and added: “Your decision also shows a premature acknowledgment of defeat due to the elections. I hope this is a desperate escape and not a prelude to unparliamentary behavior. You prefer slogans to arguments. Ultimately, you are feeding the most extreme anti-system elements, this is a pernicious choice that the country has paid for. I warned that SYRIZA would not hesitate to throw the country into the mud, you remain incorrigible.”

Continuing his criticism of Alexis Tsipras as well as SYRIZA, Kyriakos Mitsotakis asked himself: “Where is Mr. Spirtzis who speaks good or evil” to complete the appeal to the side of the official opposition: “I will invite you to return to your role and democratic normality, instead of to impose everything on everyone. Let me remind you that you took everything from everyone”, and personally addressing Mr. Tsipras, he said: “Choose different music at the beginning of your gatherings than the EAM anthem”.

Referring to the then legislative initiative on the participation of parties in the next elections, he said: “This particular amendment, in various versions, applies to other European states”, and explained that “our Constitution provides for continuous democratic functioning. This regulation is trying to reinforce this by not allowing gangs to masquerade as political actors.

As the prime minister explained, “the government presented its views to the parties in a timely manner within 3 months in order to ensure the highest possible cross-party consensus. We are open to last-minute amendments, this provision must be voted on by all 300 members of the Greek Parliament, if possible.”