“We support society in difficult times, we are close to the productive forces and development forces of this place,” the Prime Minister stressed. Kyriakos Mitsotakisduring a visit to the prefecture Pella and in successive meetings which he had in Edessa with the organs of self-government and with its members and friends SW.

“ND is always fighting for the betterment and welfare of all Greek women and all Greeks, and the government has the financial capacity to continue to support the community, businesses, farmers, workers, households and the most vulnerable in the face of the global energy and inflationary crisis. because the economy is “super-efficient” and the country has one of the highest growth rates in Europe,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said, speaking at an afternoon gathering of members and friends of his party by the waterfalls of Edessa.

“Now we are entering the fourth year of government and I believe that all the citizens of Greece have realized that despite the very big crises that have happened to us, we have safely navigated the boat of the country in very rough waters. and Greece is in a much better position today than it was in 2019 when we got down to business,” said Mr. Mitsotakis and continued:

“And I want to assure you that in this struggle we support the society in difficult times, we stand next to the productive and developing forces of this place, with our farmers who play such an important role in the local economy, with our entrepreneurs. workers, we will continue this great effort.”

The Prime Minister referred to the “unspeakable tragedy” of the war and loss of life in Ukraine, as well as the aftermath of the war, the global energy crisis and the inflationary crisis, which he said “forced us all to redeploy our forces and shift our in the face of the great difficulties we are facing,” and added:

“But, friends, we can support society, households and businesses precisely because our economy is going through hard times, because we have one of the highest growth rates in all of Europe, because we have the financial capacity to support households and businesses on electricity bills. to be able to support our most vulnerable fellow citizens at Christmas, who need it most, with another emergency allowance and, of course, from 2023 to begin the first increase in pensions in many years and the abolition of the solidarity collection for all our fellow citizens, pensioners, public servants so that we can support the disposable income of all Greeks who are being tested in the midst of this unprecedented crisis.”

The prime minister stressed that the “confidence” he sees in the faces of ND members and friends “reflects the opinion of the majority of Greeks about the leadership of the ND.” He recalled the “truth agreement” he requested with the citizens before the election, stressing that “citizens recognize that, despite the difficulties, we have fulfilled our campaign commitments”, and continued:

“We said we would cut taxes, we cut them. We said we would create jobs, we created them. We said that we would strengthen the position of Greece in the region and in Europe, and today Greece is strong and does not threaten anyone. As we have strengthened our defenses and protected our alliances and guided by international law, we are moving into the troubled region of the Eastern Mediterranean,” said Mr. Mitsotakis and continued:

“It is this trusting relationship that I will not allow anyone to question. And when the time comes, in 2023, at the end of our term, and we once again make the decisive decision on who will govern the country for the next four years, to the court of the Greek people, I have absolutely no doubt that the Greek citizens will give us a second a chance to continue and complete our work and allow neither turning back nor returning to a past that we all want to forget irrevocably.”

Mr. Mitsotakis thanked old and new supporters of his party, noting that “ND is something more than it was in the past, it is a faction that unites, not a faction that divides” and that “it represents the popular, social base of our countries”. He added that the ND is a faction that “always fights for the good and advancement of all Greek women and all Greek men, no matter what political choice they make”, and added:

“I will continue to serve this policy and I am confident that with our own strength and your support, we will be able to continue our work even after the 2023 elections.”

Mr. Mitsotakis recalled that the last election rally of the National Democratic Party was held in Giannitsa, while he promised that he would visit Pella again before the next elections, saying: “Pella brought us good luck, she will bring us good luck in the next elections as well.”

Two major infrastructure projects in Pella will be implemented with confidence.

“Two major projects that will determine the future of Pella for decades to come – the road, the road link between Edessa and Thessaloniki and the Almopaion Dam – will be implemented with confidence,” the prime minister said, addressing party leaders and friends.

Earlier, he assured the self-government bodies of the region at a meeting that preceded the akimat.

The Prime Minister pointed out that the total financial resources allocated to the Prefecture of Pella, from the Reconstruction Fund, from the NSRF, from the Antonis Tricis program, from Philodimos II, exceed one hundred million euros, not counting the aforementioned major infrastructure projects.

Mr. Mitsotakis stressed that Pella Prefecture is a “primary actor” in the primary sector and has benefited from government policies through the programs of the Ministry of Rural Development, noting that some outstanding issues will also be addressed within the capacity of the ministry and ELGA. He stressed that “ELGA compensations are being paid out much faster than in the past” and that already in Pella, which suffered crop losses last year, “the total compensation for 2021 was paid at the end of March 2022, earlier than in any another moment in the past. “.

Mr. Mitsotakis noted that the 35.5 million cubic meter Almopion Dam to irrigate 120,440 acres, the second largest irrigation project in the country, is “now ready to start all tender procedures.” He noted that these are, in fact, two separate projects: the first is a reservoir that will be auctioned in the coming months and financed by the Rural Development Program, and the second is an irrigation network worth 118 million euros, which will cover all municipalities. and will be done with PPP, within twenty, twenty one years, and its maintenance will be covered during this period. At the same time, 19 small-scale irrigation projects worth 3.5 million euros are being completed.

Regarding the horizontal road link between Edessa and Thessaloniki, he stressed that by the third quarter of 2023, a contractor will be selected to start the project. The project was put up for auction in August last year, and the application deadline is October 31st.

The prime minister said the project is “very important for Pella and has a sign of development” as it will also facilitate the easier movement of goods and primary sector goods, adding: “This is one of the commitments we have made. to make sure that no regional unit of the country will be isolated, and now we are confident that this project can be launched with secured financial resources.”

Mr. Mitsotakis also mentioned other issues such as the use of sports facilities in cities and the prospect of “the prefecture as a pole of attraction for tourism 12 months a year” due to both its rich cultural heritage and unique nature. area.

“I really believe in winter tourism. We want to make it possible – and this is what we want to initiate in ETAD – to be able to provide ski resorts on the basis of multi-year contracts so that appropriate investments can be made,” said Mr. Mitsotakis and added: “Of course, Loutra Pozar herself is itself is a place that needs more exploitation and we can certainly improve our connection to the mountain.”

He also noted the inclusion of Almopia Castle in the almost 2 million euro restoration fund and expressed his satisfaction with his visit to the museum and the progress of the work at the archaeological site of Pella, saying:

“It has a huge potential to attract even more visitors, so that the greatness of Macedonian culture can really be shown in its entirety and from all directions, which can give the visitor a general picture of what happened in this place 2300-2400 years ago. back”.

The Prime Minister noted the positive effects of the A. Tritsis” and “Philodym II” for local communities, noted that in the near future the integration of the water supply network of Edessa, as well as the music school in Giannitsa, will be carried out, and if there is educational maturity for a special kindergarten in Skidra, it will be sought.

Mr. Mitsotakis spoke about the need for municipalities to use “abstract” public property such as former camps, land, etc. at the local level. “We have to prioritize requests, overcome bureaucratic problems, think wisely about how we can use state property,” the prime minister told local governments.

The meeting was attended by Minister of Rural Development and Food Giorgos Georgantas, Deputy Minister of the Interior for Self-Government Stelios Petsas, Secretary General of the Union of Resources and Infrastructure of the Ministry of Rural Development and Food Dimitris Papagiannidis, President of ELGA Andreas Likourentsos, Deputy Regional Governor of Pella Iordanis Tsamtzis, Mayor of Edessa Dimitris Giannou, Mayor of Almopia Christos Batsis, Mayor of Skidra Caterina Ignatiadou, Mayor of Pella Grigoris Stamkos, Deputies of Pella New Republic Giorgos Karasmanis, Dionisis Stamenitis and Lakis Vassiliadis, Director of the Office of the Prime Minister in Thessaloniki Maria Antoniou, Secretary of the Political Committee of the ND Pavlos Marinakis and Director of the Office of the President ND and organization secretary Stelios Kontadakis.

Source: APE/MEB