Dimitris Gatsios (ERT): Mr Prime Minister, good evening. Concerning the White Paper, you mentioned this morning that it includes standing Greek positions. I would like to ask you how quickly you will proceed with what is envisaged and when you expect the escape clause for defence spending to be activated. Thank you.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: I hope that the escape clause will be activated as soon as possible and that it will possibly apply to the year 2025. The European Commission’s proposal is for a four-year period and I think this is reasonable, because we need time and predictability in order to increase our defence spending.
In any case, I feel that the inclusion in the White Paper of a standing position of the Greek government which is now being vindicated. We are waiting for the final and definitive text, so that we will know the degree of budgetary flexibility that we will have with regard to our defence spending for the coming years.
I would also like to remind you that at the beginning of April I will be in the Greek Parliament, where I will present the main axes of the new 12-year armaments plan, in a debate that I hope will be able to have different characteristics from the debates of the last few months.
Because we can disagree on many things, but I would like to believe that at least on defence spending issues we can find a basic common framework of understanding, as the deterrent capability of the country is a prerequisite for freedom and prosperity.
Maria Psara (STAR): Mr. Prime Minister, I will take you back to Athens, where the opposition is strongly opposed to the proposal of Mr. Triantopoulos to go directly to the Judicial Council, bypassing the Preliminary Parliamentary Investigation Committee. I would like your comment on the parties’ reactions and I would also like to ask whether Mr. Triantopoulos’ request now also constitutes a precedent for other political figures who may face prosecutorial orders.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: I refrain from commenting on internal issues when I am in Brussels, but I will answer your question, Ms. Psara. I have already made a statement on this issue, but I would really ask everyone to see the big picture. I have been a member of Parliament for 21 years, and in 2006, for the first time, I spoke then about the need to revise Article 86 so that we do not give the impression as a political system that we have double standards when dealing with the possible criminal responsibility of politicians.
Since then, some steps have been taken in the right direction. On our own initiative, this government majority has essentially abolished the statute of limitations and now Mr Triantopoulos, in a brave – in my view – act, is doing what we have all essentially been calling for.
And what is that? To be finally tried by his natural judge. And I would say that in a way this choice, which is both the choice and the intention of the government majority, paves the way for a more courageous constitutional revision of Article 86, in the direction we were all talking about. I really wonder how it is possible that the opposition parties, and especially PASOK, can come today and say the exact opposite of what they were saying a week ago.
I do not think that this is how we build trust between citizens and the political system. As a politician who has always fought in this direction, I will lead the effort to change Article 86, as I have committed myself to do.
I believe that both citizens and politicians prefer to be tried by their natural judges, in this case by the Supreme Court, which we have, rather than having their criminal treatment become the subject of a party political debate. Besides, we have seen many preliminary inquiries and investigations and we know where they have ended.
Giannis Kantelis (SKAI): I would like to ask you whether the Supreme Cooperation Council with Turkey, your meeting with Mr.Tayyip Erdoğan has been scheduled and whether this is affected by the latest developments in Turkey, on which I would like to have a comment, namely on the arrest of Mr. Imamoğlu.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Let me start with the second part of the question and express my concern about the developments in Turkey. Respect for political freedoms is a key component of a democracy.
I would like to remind you that Turkey, at least on paper, is a candidate country for EU membership and a country that aspires to closer relations with the Union. Obviously, this can only be done within the framework of the European Council’s decisions, as we have negotiated them in recent years.
Now, on the first part of your question, no, there is still no date scheduled for my visit to Ankara.
Nikos Armenis (AMNA – MEGA): Mr. Prime Minister, I understand that both Greece and Europe are hardening their stance on migration. I wanted to ask if there was any decision that you took in this informal meeting with the other leaders that you had.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Mr. Armenis, I would say that Greece was at the forefront of this change in EU migration policy.
I want to remind you that from 2020 we are adopting a tough but fair policy, which prioritises external border security. At that time, I would say that there were few of us in favour of this policy. Now it is essentially common ground that we cannot have a coherent immigration policy without effective management of the external borders and without restricting the flows of those who enter the European Union illegally.
I am glad because the European Union seems to be moving towards a second priority that the Greek government has always set, which is none other than effective returns. The truth is that today eight out of ten illegal immigrants in Europe, i.e. people who are not entitled to asylum, do not return and stay on the European continent. And this, obviously, is something that needs to change.
The draft regulation, as proposed by the European Commission, is an important step in the right direction. Greece is part of a closed group of countries that, I would say, are at the forefront of discussions for more innovative ideas on migration. We are looking forward to the publication by the European Commission of the list of safe countries of origin. The safe third countries will follow. And we must be prepared to think outside the box to see how we can address this issue.
The government’s policy on this is very clear: anyone who is entitled to asylum in our country is welcome to stay in Greece. But anyone who is not entitled to asylum, we will do everything in our power to return them to the country from which they started their journey.
Adamantia Lioliou (OPEN): Mr. Prime Minister, I wanted to ask if there is any request for a meeting between you and Donald Trump since he has taken over the reins of power in the United States. And I will put on the table that President Erdoğan, at least from what we know, has an appointment in April. And if possibly the meeting between the two men, Erdoğan and Trump, will prepare the ground or raise some issues for the meeting between you and Mr. Erdoğan.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Now you asked me a lot of hypothetical questions. I am not aware of any scheduled meeting between President Erdoğan and President Trump, nor is there any scheduled meeting between me and President Trump. I assume that this will take place at some point, but I have nothing concrete to tell you.
In any case, I want to emphasize, and I have said this many times, that Greek-American relations are stable, they are deep, they are based on common interests, and they are not defined by the relationship between the United States and Turkey.
Greece is a factor, a pillar of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and a country which I believe, in this volatile geopolitical environment, can be very useful, I would say, as a reliable country in the Middle East, a member of the European Union, a member of NATO. It can be extremely useful in this new vision of American foreign policy.
