Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met, on the sidelines of the European People’s Party Congress in Valencia, Spain, with the leader of the CDU parliamentary group and incoming Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz.
The Prime Minister congratulated Mr Merz on his election victory and stressed that he looks forward to close cooperation with the new German government on issues of bilateral and European interest.
During their meeting, they discussed the issues of European defence and the European economy, in the light of recent developments.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed Mr Merz’s decision to establish a separate Ministry of Digital Governance in Germany, the benefits of which they had discussed during their meeting in Berlin in January, adding that in the case of Greece this portfolio had contributed drastically to the transformation of the functioning of the state.
The Prime Minister also met with the Prime Minister of Finland, Petteri Orpo.
During the meeting, issues of European interest were discussed, with an emphasis on European collective security and the European defence strategy.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis stressed that the strengthening of European defence is now imperative, while he underlined that EU defence cooperation with non-EU countries should not contradict the strategic interests of the European Union and should take into account the security and defence interests of all Member States.
The Prime Minister also met with the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu.
They discussed the latest European developments, as well as the prospects for bilateral cooperation, particularly in the field of energy and investments.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis reiterated Greece’s support to Moldova’s European perspective and accepted the invitation of Mrs Sandu to visit Moldova in the coming period.
Finally, the Prime Minister had a meeting with the former Prime Minister of Bulgaria and leader of GERB, Boyko Borissov.
