“To the west of Gavdos, exploration has begun for the presence of natural gas deposits. I call on neighboring states to enter into fruitful negotiations with Greece. As we did with Egypt, we can do it with Libya.”“, added the prime minister.

Detailed statement from the Prime Minister:

“Madam Mayor, ladies and gentlemen,

It is with great joy that I am today, on this great day for Orthodoxy, here with you, in Gavdos, at the southernmost point not only of Greece, but of our entire continent, Europe.

I’m here today to send two messages. The first message concerns our government’s commitment to support all critical areas of our country.

I have said many times that there are no two-speed Greeks for us. And our fellow citizens, those few who have decided to live in the remote corners of our homeland – like here in Gavdos – deserve special care, special care and protection.

I know, Madam Mayor, that life here in Gavdos is not easy. And the women and men of Gavdio, who decide to stay here, have to face great difficulties. And we also have an obligation to support your municipality, both through the region and through the central government, so that small things, small for us, but big for you, can be realized and improve the quality of life in this place of rare beauty.

You correctly mentioned the need to preserve the natural and ecological beauty of the island. And you are absolutely right. Gavdos is a separate ecosystem, protected, and it should remain so. And it is our duty to pave the way for harmonious sustainable development combined with environmental protection.

This will cause more visitors to come to your island and any economic activity such as animal husbandry that has existed here for thousands of years should also be carried out in a way that respects the environment, but at the same time, to preserve the special characteristics of the place.

I want you to know that in this effort we will assist you both through the central government and through the financial instruments that we have at our disposal, as well as through my personal interests. Because as prime minister and as a haniot, I believe that I have a special obligation to Gavdos to bend over your problems and help you in any way I can to make life easier for you here on your island.

The second message I want to send here from Gavdos is wider. We, as I said, are located in the southernmost point of Europe, in the Libyan Sea. Here the Greek flag flies in the Mediterranean Sea, a place that should become a place of peaceful coexistence for all Mediterranean countries.

I want to repeat here from Gavdos that Greece does not accept proposals on how to exercise its sovereignty and its sovereign rights.

We have proven that we are the force of the world, but at the same time, we are also the force of self-confidence. We know that on the basis of international law, we can resolve any of our differences peacefully. We also proved this by delimiting the exclusive economic zone with Egypt and Italy. We also know that this is the way to resolve any other differences we have with our neighbors.

Here, west of Gavdos, for the first time under our own government, after many years of delay, studies have been launched to determine the presence of natural gas deposits that the Hellenic Republic can develop.

I also call here from Gavdos, all the neighboring states of Greece, and I specifically mean Libya, to come to fruitful and meaningful negotiations with our homeland so that we can delimit the exclusive economic zones with our geographical neighbors. As we did with Egypt, we can do the same with Libya as soon as a government is formed in a neighboring country with the authority to conclude such international agreements.

Therefore, in this way and along this path, we will move and go as a force for peace, but also as a force of self-confidence, a force of stability in a region such as the Eastern Mediterranean, which is becoming increasingly geopolitically important.

Once again, Madam Mayor, I want to congratulate all the inhabitants of the island, especially the permanent residents, those who decided to spend here not only a wonderful summer, but also a difficult winter, happy birthday.

I also congratulate all Greek women, all Greek women, everywhere on earth, on this great day for our Orthodoxy.
Get well soon and I hope to have a chance to visit you again soon. It shouldn’t take a prime minister 26 years to visit any region of our country.

Best wishes. Happy birthday!”.

“On behalf of the critics of Greece, I welcome you to Gavdos. Your visit to us is not only an honor for us, the Gavdians, but also an important event of high symbolism. Your presence here today, at the southernmost tip of our country, fills us with strength, but also strengthens the sovereignty of our country. Gavdos, who, with her beauty, managed to keep Odysseus close to Calypso for many years. The place that was blessed by the Apostle Paul, the island of the exiles, the island that has managed to preserve its beauty almost intact from the time of Homer to the present day, today is honored with the presence of the Prime Minister of the country.” . mentioned, among other things, during her greetings Mayor Lilian Stefanaki, who welcomed and accompanied the Prime Minister during his stay on the island.

Then the Prime Minister visited the Gavdos military outpost.in which eight soldiers serve, conducted a tour of the territory of the outpost and the museum exposition located at the entrance to the Mayak, talked and exchanged wishes for the New Year with the soldiers.

The last stop of the Prime Minister’s visit was the village of Ambelos., where he had the opportunity to meet, exchange wishes and talk with Mrs. Christine, one of the oldest permanent residents of the island. Kyriakos Mitsotakis was accompanied on his visit to the island by the regional governor of Crete, Stavros Arnaoutakis, and Chania MPs from North Dakota, Manousos Voloudakis and Vassilis Digalakis.

It is recalled that the threats from the Turkish side have multiplied in recent days against the backdrop of the issue of territorial waters. After Mevlut Cavusogluwho a few days ago raised the issue of casus belli, Representative of the Turkish President Ibrahim Kalinon Tuesday said that “in the event of the expansion of territorial waters in Crete, there will be serious consequences and results,” and stressed that Turkey “will react decisively and will not accept any expansion even by one mile.”