Speech by K. Mitsotakis at the European Parliament

Of Dimitris Gatsiu

Having completed at the end of last week another diplomatic marathon to inform partners and allies about developments in the Eastern Mediterranean and Turkey’s new challenges, the prime minister is today in Strasbourg to address the European Parliament.

After his historic speech to Congress, during his visit to the United States of America, Mr. Mitsotakis will today address the body of MEPs and a critical juncture of geopolitical, economic and energy turmoil.

The aim of the intervention is to present a Greece, which is a pillar of stability and security in a region of volatile balances, with the title that one could place in the central motif of the Prime Minister’s speech being “the country’s new position in the international environment”.

The entire presence of Mr. Mitsotakis in Strasbourg and the European Parliament is expected to have, as government officials point out, a strong pro-European sign.

The prime minister will, according to information, describe Greece’s position within a changing Europe, but also the national challenges which, in many cases, are European and require common coping mechanisms.

Like, for example, the… energy Complexes, which plague European economies, households and businesses and require the adoption of a single step on the part of Brussels, indeed, in view of the difficult autumn and winter months.

With an eye on the economy and development, Mr. Mitsotakis is expected to stand on the steps that our country has taken during the last three years.

In this context, the message that Greece is no longer the…black sheep of Europe, but is leaving behind the years of crisis and turning the page, having a stable government with a strong reformist sign, will be at the forefront of the Prime Minister’s speech.

“Greece participates in Europe as an equal partner and co-shaper of all the major European debates”, the prime minister is expected to note, with his speech, however, beyond the economic perspective, turning to geopolitical developments and geopolitical… bets, with which the European family is facing.

Mr. Mitsotakis is expected to make a special reference to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, for which Greece took a clear position from the first moment. At the same time, it will also focus on the challenges in the wider region of the Balkans and the Eastern Mediterranean, with the line of calmness and determination in the face of the revisionist outbursts of the neighbor remaining the fixed point on the horizon.

“It is obvious that the continuous strengthening of our country on all fronts, in the economy, in diplomacy, in our deterrent capacity, do not let Mr. Erdogan rest.

He is disturbed because the government is empowering the country with an armaments program that is developing rapidly, changing the level of our defense capabilities and consolidating Greece’s position as a factor of stability, in the Aegean, in the South-Eastern Mediterranean and in the Balkan peninsula”, he said, from the briefing stage of the journalists, the government representative, Yiannis Oikonomou.