Within a week, pensioners who have not received an increase for personal reasons will be announced, the Prime Minister stressed. Kyriakos Mitsotakisin greeting, he addressed the inhabitants of Kastoria.

As he mentioned, his government will always be by the side of the citizens, especially the weakest.

“The first vote will send a message about who should govern”

Addressing New Democracy voters, Mr. Mitsotakis said that in the next elections “not a single vote should be wasted” because they should “deactivate” the “mine” of simple proportionality.

“The first vote will be decisive. Ultimately, this will serve as a signal as to who should govern Greece for the next four years. And no vote should be in vain. I can look you in the eyes and say that, despite great difficulties, our main election statements have been implemented,” he said.

“Nothing we have achieved is taken for granted, nothing we have achieved is taken for granted. We can very easily imagine how another government will undo everything we have achieved and we will return to the times we want to forget once and for all. We will not allow. A self-sufficient Greece equals a self-sufficient New Republic. This is our goal, we will achieve it with your help and your support,” the Prime Minister stressed.

Especially for the Kastoria region, Mr. Mitsotakis expressed his confidence that New Democracy will exceed 50% of the vote in the upcoming elections.

Attack on SYRIZA

The prime minister accused SYRIZA-PS of choosing the path of separation and stated that the government was not going to follow it.

“In no way would I want this pre-election period in connection with the spring elections to be spent in cockfights, in a crescendo of populism and dirt, which, in the end, I believe, are of no interest to citizens,” he said.

He added: “If the official opposition has chosen this path, we will leave it alone. We will talk about the future, we will tell the citizens that we have tried, we have achieved a lot, but we can achieve more. We will talk about how we see Greece in 2030 in each region. We will meet each other and see who really has a plan for the Greece of tomorrow and who wants to bring us back to division forever.”

“Those who polarize and divide are those who have absolutely nothing to say to you about the problems you face. They have no plans for the future, no vision for Greece, and they cannot envision a strong and confident Greece that will be the protagonist in all the important events taking place in Europe today.

“Nothing we have achieved is taken for granted. We can easily imagine that another government will undo everything we have achieved and we will return to the times we want to forget once and for all. We will not allow. A self-sufficient Greece equals a self-sufficient New Republic. This is our goal, we will achieve it,” he said.

Regarding the earthquake in our neighboring country, he said that “to our friend Turkey, we were the first to extend the hand of friendship when it was hit by a devastating earthquake, because this is, after all, what good neighborly relations require.”

Claysoura Tunnel Presentation

The next stop on Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ tour was the construction site of the new Kleisoura Tunnel in Verga, Kastoria, where he was briefed on progress by Minister of Public Works Giorgos Karagiannis and AKTOR President and Managing Director Giorgos Sirianos.

As the Prime Minister said, the first signature for the construction of this pipe was given 30 years ago by Konstantinos Mitsotakis, and it will be implemented now.

The project concerns the construction of a new 10.4 km Kastoria-Ptolemaida provincial road from the Koturi stream to the borders of Kozani.

Specifically, it includes a key section of the 1.36 km Claysoura Tunnel, four railroad crossings, a bridge, and other individual works.

Government sources said the new highway, with a total budget of €71 million, will improve road safety and intra-regional traffic by significantly improving connectivity between cities in the region and reducing travel times and costs.

It should be noted that the technical works were contracted in October and are expected to be commissioned by the end of 2025.

Reception in Kastoria

Mr. Mitsotakis arrived in Kastoria accompanied by his wife Mareva.

In the city center he was greeted by members and friends of the New Democracy. “Here we are breaking records in elections, and now I want us to set a new record,” the Prime Minister told the citizens.

Immediately after that, he went to the monument to the victims of the Pontic genocide, where the Pontics sang the song “I lost my homeland.” After that, Mr. Mitsotakis walked along the main streets, went into shops and talked to shop owners and customers.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by Deputy Minister of Transport Michalis Papadopoulos, Deputy Minister of Macedonia and Thrace Stavros Kalafatis, Deputy Zisis Tsikalaias, Regional Governor of Western Macedonia Giorgos Kasapidis, Head of the Prime Minister’s Office in Thessaloniki Maria Antoniou and Secretary of the ND Political Committee Pavlos Marinakis.

Source: RES-IPE