“Greece will not send troops to Ukraine, and the Bellhara frigate mission will not be in the Pacific,” emphasized Kyriakos Mitsotakis in his parliamentary response to Dimitris Koutsoubas. Regarding Libya and the determination of maritime zones, he said that Tripoli has not practically challenged the median line so far, which is viewed as positive. This is – he said – the basis for maritime zone delimitation and concerns us, not Turkey, because the Turkish-Libyan memorandum is illegal.
Responding to Mr. Androulakis, he said that history recorded that Greece went bankrupt and collapsed in the hands of George Papandreou. “In 2009, instead of the country rolling up its sleeves immediately, you were promising and distributing 2 billion until December with the slogan ‘money exists,’ and then the country collapsed in your hands,” said Mr. Mitsotakis. Referring to the cable project, he said it is a very important project primarily for Cyprus and of decisive importance for Hellenism, as it can lift the energy isolation of Cyprus.
“We mapped out a roadmap with Mr. Christodoulides on how the existing issues can be overcome, and pending matters must first be resolved because some insist that the project is not economically viable,” he emphasized.
Mitsotakis to Famellos: Why didn’t you recognize Palestinian state as government?
Regarding Palestinian state recognition, he said the government chose not to proceed with recognition because at this moment Greece has a strategic relationship with Israel, not with Netanyahu. In this context, recognizing the state when conditions are immature would not advance national interests. On the contrary, non-recognition gives us the ability to be credible interlocutors with both Palestinians and Israel, he said. “We judge that at this moment this is the right choice,” said Mr. Mitsotakis, adding that “Israeli settlements are illegal and condemnable.”
He also noted that the approach of parties in the National Council of Foreign Policy is completely different from that in Parliament.
“Why didn’t the SYRIZA government recognize the Palestinian state for 4.5 years?” he asked, addressing Famellos, and added that the then government also understood that conditions were not ripe.
On OPEKEPE
The Prime Minister, referring to OPEKEPE and responding to opposition criticism, said that “whoever you want will come to the investigative committee, ‘Frapes’ and ‘Hasapis’ and Mylonakis, we will not stand as an obstacle.” Mr. Mitsotakis noted that the investigative committee that takes its investigation further back shows that the OPEKEPE problem is not just this government’s problem, but has chronic characteristics, he said addressing Mr. Androulakis, adding: “Do you believe, Mr. Androulakis, that this issue concerns only New Democracy officials and that PASOK officials in Crete had no involvement in illegal subsidies? Don’t you think so? Let everyone come to the investigative committee, the government will not stand as an obstacle.”
Finally, referring to the relationship between SYRIZA and Mr. Tsipras, he said: “It’s a matter for discussion when a former prime minister abandons his party and you support his policies, while he left you out in the cold.”
