“Yesterday, in his speech, there was neither desolation of the prime minister, nor criticism of the government. Kostas Karamanlis. If someone reads it carefully, they will understand that it is moving on the same wave as what the government ordered, that is, the absolute clarification of this particular case,” said a government spokesman. Yannis Oikonomouasked – during a political editors’ briefing – about former Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis’s speech yesterday at the Yiannis Kefalogiannis memorial event in Anoia, Crete.

“We will do our best to achieve what happened. However, I see a desperate attempt by certain circles to distort the views of the former Prime Minister. These are the same people who criticized him in the past. It is known that the ex-premier has long-term stable views on the faction and the country,” said a government spokesman. Mr. Economou repeated that, as far as the government is concerned, “we will not tolerate any shadow in this case.”

“Greece is an important partner in NATO”

Regarding the reports of Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the cabinet meeting, Mr. Economou reiterated that Russia, using natural gas flows and prices as a weapon, is launching an all-out attack against European states and that this creates destabilizing conditions. As for the Turkish President, Mr. Economou quoted Mr. Erdogan’s recent statement calling on the Greeks to vote against Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

Referring to yesterday’s statements by Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Yannis Oikonomou stressed that Greece is a stable and important partner in NATO, whose relations are governed by international law.

“Greece endures”

“The development of the economy in conditions of crises unprecedented since the Second World War has two aspects: on the one hand, evidence confirming that our economy has acquired a very solid foundation and is showing extremely positive results even thanks to our structured plan. from the very beginning and professional implementation by the government. On the other hand, developments related to natural gas flows and prices seem to portend an extremely difficult winter for the whole of Europe,” a government spokesman said, opening a briefing for political editors. “These two complementary aspects are the main reason why Greece has persevered and not been crushed by the tangle of huge international pressure. We endure because through stable and effective governance, our economy wins. Otherwise, a country like ours would have been on its knees in the post-memorandum period,” he stressed.

He then specifically referred to the data on the economic situation of our country, that is, foreign direct investment, which recorded the highest figures in the past 20 years last year, the export of goods and services, which set a historical record in 2021, the turnover of all enterprises that he presented, increased in the first half of 2022 by 32% compared to the first half of 2019, the decrease in the unemployment rate, which in June was 12.1%, and the number of workers reached 4.2 million, which is the highest since February 2011 . the industrial production index increased by 8.4% year on year in June and of course, as everyone knows, tourism has returned very dynamically, travel revenues reached 2.6 billion euros in June 2022 and 5.1 billion euros at six months.”

He emphasized that this course gives us the weapons to endure. However, he reiterated that at the same time, the international situation is covered with clouds that portend an extremely difficult winter. The prime minister’s address to the cabinet mentioned that Russia is now attacking Europe as a whole with weapons of natural gas, prices ten times higher than at the start of the crisis, driving up electricity costs and unprecedented inflationary pressures.

“Weighted Measures”

A decision has already been made to hold an extraordinary meeting of EU energy ministers to assess the prospects for removal and make decisions. On September 9, when the Commission is working on urgent intervention and structural reform of the electricity market, the government spokesman noted and recalled the Prime Minister’s speeches on European action and the specific proposals he made.

“At the national level, the government has proven that it knows and can raise dams when they rise, to relieve the pressure on the daily life of citizens to a certain extent,” Mr. Economou then stressed, referring to the measures taken for electricity. current accounts, but also general support in society against accuracy.

He then said that “resources are not inexhaustible and we must not forget that if the state today is able to support households and businesses to pay electricity bills, then it also owes a prudent policy that has increased the country’s social wealth. Therefore, as the Prime Minister noted, measures will be weighed and weighed so that temporary needs do not undermine national priorities.”

He stressed that in any case, “the absolute priority of the government for the next period is to overcome the energy crisis and make life as easy as possible for citizens.”

“Major Nonconformities”

Continuing his introductory presentation, he mentioned immigration and in particular the case of 38 immigrants in Evros. He said that the Minister, Mr. Mitarakis, is presenting a report to the Supreme Court Prosecutor today with data on both the entry of 38 immigrants from Evros on 15 August and reports on the dead child. The corresponding update was also made yesterday in Parliament, and this is due to the fact that, as he pointed out, “significant inconsistencies” are still being identified from the analysis of the data. He referred to specific relevant evidence which, together with others, was placed at the disposal of the Court.

He emphasized that the loss of life on Greek soil was not confirmed by any source, by any evidence in this particular case, and criticized the position of SYRIZA as irresponsible and damaging to the country.

Answering a question about the 38 migrants in Evros, Yannis Oikonomou accused SYRIZA of accepting Turkish propaganda and seeking open borders, while the government, on the contrary, seeks rules, order and the protection of our borders, “this is a political difference that will be citizens are judged,” he said characteristically.

personal doctor

Mr. Oikonomou also mentioned that a personal physician registration platform for citizens over 16 years of age in the regions of Attica and South Aegean is being opened today.

Mr. Economou emphasized in the related question that whenever it is considered necessary, the government takes the necessary steps to speed up the work of the government. He blamed SYRIZA for the communication event related to the visit of Alexis Tsipras to ADAE and stressed that the subsequent position of the official opposition party did not make us any wiser regarding its complaints about the destruction of files and documents of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Regarding articles in the international press that speak of authoritarianism in Greece, a government spokesman stressed that “they create an image that is completely untrue, no one seriously believes that Mr. Mitsotakis is an authoritarian leader.”

^{Source: RES-IPE}