Recalling what happened in 1999 with the so-called “earthquake diplomacy”, the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis he said in an interview CNN in the situation in the neighboring country after deadly earthquake 7.8 Richter. “In these times, it is important that we are neighbors and help each other in difficult times. We had a big earthquake in Turkey in 1999, we helped, then we had a big earthquake and Turkey offered help. In the end, it’s time to temporarily put aside our differences and deal with the urgent situation,” he said, adding that “we have political differences, but we have nothing to share with the Turks. I can’t imagine a stronger image than that of a Greek and a Turkish lifeguard saving a 7-year-old girl,” the Prime Minister concluded.

Regarding the current situation in Syria Mr. Mitsotakis said that “there is no official interlocutor, so we have to work through international intermediaries,” and after his interview, the prime minister left a window open for helping Greece not only now, but also later: “We have difficult days ahead. If we manage short-term needs, we will help Turkey with long-term consequences. My proposal will also be at the level of the European Council that any assistance to Syria should be agreed at the European level.”

The prime minister’s references to Turkey and Syria in his CNN interview.

high tones

Yesterday’s debate in parliament on the draft law on the Ministry of Defense was a rehearsal for the elections, when the prime minister, during his speech, used all the government’s “weapons” and arguments against SYRIZA. The Prime Minister attached particular importance to the decision of the official opposition to refuse to participate in the parliamentary elections before the elections. Mr Mitsotakis called the decision “unprecedented”. “This choice offends not only 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.” Continuing his vehement criticism of Mr Tsipras, he said he would like the decision to be just a desperate move “and not a prelude to anti-parliamentary behaviour”, calling it SYRIZA return “to their role and to democratic normality”. The prime minister also referred in detail to the provision on the participation of parties in elections, which will be submitted to parliament today, saying that the same amendment applies in various versions to other European states, and in his response he also touched on the elections. that “will pass in a few months from today,” Mr Tsipras is accused of choosing “this extreme polarization” to better deal with his electoral defeat. “You are cut off from what you call the centrist space,” he concluded.

Regarding the provisions of the MoD bill, the prime minister stated that “compensation for specialized personnel for the disposal of explosive devices is also added, but the former deduction in favor of the military is also canceled”, and social security bills are also recommended to the army and air force to cover the costs of medical care for military personnel. and their families. In addition, cuts introduced in 2012 for Equity Fund beneficiaries have been lifted, and NIMTS will also accept active military personnel from both the armed forces and the police.