Against the backdrop of escalating tensions in the Middle East, today’s (Monday 09/03) briefing of political editors was conducted by government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis. Regarding the deployment of six Turkish F-16s and air defense systems in the occupied territories, the government spokesperson emphasized that Greece has an obligation to respond to every crisis it is called upon to manage, ensuring overall protection of the island. “Whatever happens in the pseudo-state will not affect our strategic decision to protect our brothers in Cyprus,” he noted characteristically.
Meanwhile, Pavlos Marinakis emphasized that today’s visit by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to Cyprus amid developments in the Middle East is not simply a visit of high symbolism, but also of substance, given that Greece was the first country to provide assistance, as he said. “It is very important that subsequently Europe showed the right face in such circumstances,” he added, while reiterating that our country has no intention of overall involvement in the crisis that has erupted.
Pavlos Marinakis: I won’t prejudge new measures before they’re needed
Subsequently, when asked about the economic impacts of the war, Pavlos Marinakis stated that the government is ready to take new measures if this becomes necessary, as the war in the Middle East enters its tenth day and concerns about consequences for the economy intensify. “I won’t prejudge new measures before they’re needed,” he said, among other things, adding that if required, the government will act accordingly. “The government has proven it knows crisis management. You cannot know the duration and extent from the beginning. We have proven in emergency situations that we don’t leave society helpless,” noted Pavlos Marinakis, clarifying that any moves will be made within a fiscal framework. “The prime minister is in constant communication with the relevant ministers, there is a plan, when it is deemed final and there is a need for announcements, they will be made within a reasonable timeframe,” the government spokesperson also said. “We are here, we don’t leave citizens unprotected when extraordinary price increase phenomena are observed,” Pavlos Marinakis added.
Also, regarding Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ participation in the second Nuclear Energy Summit, which will take place tomorrow, Tuesday March 10, 2026, in Paris, the government spokesperson mentioned that no decisions are expected to be made tomorrow. As he said, there is currently nothing to announce, as the relevant talks are still in a preliminary stage. However, he said there is Athens’ intention to participate in the French initiative.
Pavlos Marinakis: 1,039 citizens repatriated in five days
It should be noted that in his introductory statement, Pavlos Marinakis emphasized the coordinated repatriation operations of Greek citizens from dangerous areas of the Middle East, noting that within five days, a total of 1,039 citizens were repatriated from Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Israel, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Palestinian territories, with the assistance of chartered aircraft, ground transport and military flights. Meanwhile, he reiterated that Athens remains in full readiness to provide any possible assistance to Greeks who have been affected by the wartime situation in the broader region.
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Full introductory statement by Pavlos Marinakis
Good afternoon and good week,
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is traveling to Cyprus where he will meet with the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides and the President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron.
After the meeting there will be joint press statements.
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The coordinated operations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continue for the repatriation of Greeks who are in dangerous areas, amid the conflict in the Middle East.
Within five days, a total of 1,039 of our fellow citizens were repatriated from Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Israel, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, as well as from Palestinian territories. For this purpose, aircraft chartered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ground transport and military aircraft were used.
This is an extremely complex exercise, as each operation has major particularities and difficulties, mainly due to extensive flight restrictions, constant alarms in war zones and the large number of countries involved.
For the repatriations, the central service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs cooperates with our local embassies and consulates.
We remain in full readiness to provide any possible assistance to Greek citizens who have been affected by the wartime situation in the broader Middle East.
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Greece provides means and personnel for Bulgaria’s protection, following a relevant request from the neighboring NATO and EU member country.
This initiative does not affect in the slightest the ballistic missile defense capability of Greek territory.
Specifically, after a decision by KYSEA, a PATRIOT battery was transferred to a suitable area within the northern part of Greek territory for ballistic missile coverage of a large part of Bulgaria’s territory.
Additionally, a pair of F-16s was stationed at an airport in Northern Greece, with the exclusive mission of providing additional coverage to Bulgaria.
For effective coordination, 2 Senior Air Force Officers are traveling to the Operations Center of the Bulgarian Armed Forces in Sofia.
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In 2025, Greece achieved a high growth rate of 2.1%, significantly increased investments and strengthened exports. And this happened despite geopolitical tensions and disruptions in global trade caused by the tariff policy of the United States of America.
Indeed, in the last quarter of 2025, GDP grew by 2.4% compared to the corresponding quarter of 2024, a fact that reflects the particularly positive dynamics of Greek production.
At the same time, according to Eurostat, in the fourth quarter the Eurozone and the broader European Union had GDP growth of 1.2% and 1.4% respectively, a rate significantly lower than that of Greece.
Based on ELSTAT’s first estimate, domestic and foreign investments increased by about 9% in 2025, exceeding 37 billion euros. This means that after the pandemic, Greece is steadily covering the large investment gap created during the decade-long crisis.
Meanwhile, exports of goods and services increased by 1.7% despite the uncertain environment, while imports decreased by 1.3%, resulting in substantial improvement of the trade balance.
Furthermore, ELSTAT indicators show that in 2025 Greek households increased their real spending by 2%, an indication that disposable income continues to move upward.
Indeed, this conclusion is reinforced by the fact that in 2025 employee compensation increased more than corporate profitability, meaning that growth was distributed primarily to workers and secondarily to capital owners.
Specifically, the compensation of dependent labor at current prices is estimated to have increased by 6.6% compared to 2024, while gross operating surplus was boosted by 2.6%.
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Debt settlements through the out-of-court mechanism continued at high rates in February 2026, with 2,055 cases completed within the month.
605 of these were carried out with expanded vulnerability criteria regarding mandatory settlement proposals by creditors. Through legislative improvements like this, the perimeter of debtor protection was essentially expanded and even more citizens were thus facilitated to settle their debts.
New application launches also moved at a high rate in February, reaching 6,380.
Since the Mechanism began operating until today, 55,343 settlements have been completed, corresponding to initial debts of 17.07 billion euros.
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A technical support agreement for Greece on aviation matters was signed between the Civil Aviation Authority and the European Organisation for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol).
The Agreement is part of the National Action Plan for the transformation and modernization of the Greek Air Traffic Management and Air Navigation Services system.
“This cooperation is expected to contribute decisively to the successful implementation of the National Action Plan, to strengthening the interoperability and resilience of national aviation infrastructure and, by extension, to improving the overall performance and reliability of the European aviation network,” noted the competent Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Dimas.
I ask for your questions.
