As a country at the outer edge of the Eastern Mediterranean, we welcome the ceasefire that was brokered by President Trump between Israel and Iran. But at the same time, let me express my firm belief that permanent solutions can only be found through active diplomacy.
At the same time, it’s important not to forget the other aspects of this regional crisis. It is absolutely necessary that we implement a ceasefire in Gaza, that humanitarian aid flows into Gaza. This is a big component of a permanent solution to the problem of instability in the region.
Now, coming to the Summit, I think it is very encouraging that we have all agreed to a significant increase in our defence spending. I have been a strong proponent of the need for Europe to step up our military spending and take more ownership over our own collective defence. Greece is a country which is currently spending more than 3% on defence, and we have consistently exceeded the 2% threshold, even during the very difficult times of the economic crisis.
So I welcome the decisions taken by the Summit. I hope that all member states will do their part, because at the end of the day, this is an alliance which is based on trust and on fair burden sharing.
Journalist: Prime Minister, if Greece can get to commit 5% of GDP on military spending, why can’t the Spanish? We have very similar history, very similar recent history, Greece and Spain. Surely you can put pressure on Mr. Sánchez to agree to a deal.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Well, first of all, let me say that as I told before, we’re currently above 3%, so we have a plan to spend more than 25 billion over the next 12 years, so we will reach the 3.5 plus 1.5% threshold by 2035.
But the point of an alliance is to make sure that there is a fair burden sharing and that there is no sense that certain countries are free riding on the defence commitment of other countries. I think it is important to understand that these targets, I think, should be binding, and they should be binding for all 32 members of the Alliance.
Thank you.
