George Evgenidis (STAR TV- Proto Thema): Good evening, Mr. Prime Minister. We watched a Summit that was very interesting and featured US President Trump as the main protagonist, in his first appearance on European soil during his second term. However, we also watched his meeting with Mr. Erdoğan, and we saw some very warm moments. Is the rapprochement between the US and Turkey something that concerns us as a country? And, perhaps, did you have any contact with Mr. Trump on the sidelines of the Summit? Are we expecting any contact in the near future?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: First of all, let’s look at the big picture. This Summit is extremely important because it was decided to significantly increase the total defense spending of all NATO member countries to 5% by 2035.
I had the opportunity to stress that Greece is currently among the top five countries in terms of defense spending as a percentage of GDP. We have already exceeded 3% and have a major investment program in our defense industry for the next 12 years, which could potentially reach €28 billion.
Therefore, Greece is actively participating in NATO, participating in the Alliance, but at the same time it is shielding its Armed Forces, as it should do in these extremely difficult times we are going through.
I have said many times, Mr. Evgenidis, that we don’t define ourselves through others, nor can I comment on the meeting that President Erdoğan had yesterday after dinner with President Trump.
I had the opportunity to have a brief conversation with President Erdoğan, as is usually the case at these Summits. We raised the issues that needed to be raised and we are waiting to find a date that suits both sides for the High-Level Cooperation Council, when we will have the opportunity to say much more publicly.
Giannis Kantelis (SKAI TV): How close are we to the High-Level Cooperation Council taking place? I ask this because we have been discussing it since January, and it keeps getting pushed back. You told us that you met with Mr. Erdoğan, but I think it was a very brief meeting. On other occasions we know there is a framework. This has happened at all NATO Summits, with the unfortunate exception of Madrid, where relations between the two countries were very poor.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Once the High-Level Cooperation Council has been confirmed, we will be able to tell you more, Mr. Kantelis. I insist that I think we are making a mistake: at these very important Summits, we should not only deal with issues related to Greek-Turkish relations.
At present, our wider region is facing very serious challenges. In my speech, I had the opportunity to comment on the events unfolding in the wider Middle East region, on the need to quickly return to a framework of negotiations so as to ensure that Iran does not acquire nuclear weapons, but that this is achieved not through military means but through diplomacy.
I had the opportunity to raise issues concerning Syria and the appalling terrorist attack that took place in Damascus a few days ago.
I spoke about Libya, about the fact that security challenges in the wider region are also linked to the instrumentalisation of migratory flows.
So, these are issues that concern our country’s overall presence in the wider region. And I can assure you that Greece has a very distinct geopolitical footprint as a country that is a factor of stability in NATO’s southeastern wing.
Spyros Mourelatos (AMNA and flash.gr): Mr. Prime Minister, I would like to return to the subject of the Summit, namely armaments programmes. And I would like you to clarify whether the agreement that you mentioned a moment ago applies to all NATO member states without exception. Because we had heard previously that there were partners such as Spain and Slovakia who were acting and requesting an exception.
I would also like to ask whether Athens is concerned that this goal, which you have committed to achieving, will in any way affect economic planning in view of the Thessaloniki International Fair.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Regarding the second question, I will say clearly, no. This target, 5%, is broken down into two parts: 3.5% is hard defense spending and 1.5% is spending that can, in a broad sense, be related to the country’s defense shield, such as civil protection spending or spending on infrastructure that can be used for military movements. But the “hard” target for defense spending is 3.5%. Greece will definitely achieve this target. After all, it is a target for the next decade.
Beyond that, look, I read the joint communiqué as a communiqué that is binding on all countries. And it seems a little strange to me that there are specific exceptions. I did not see any exceptions in the joint communiqué, and I believe that in an alliance, everyone must do their part.
And let’s not forget that there were many countries that pointed the finger at Greece during the financial crisis, when Greece, despite its difficulties, always spent more than 2%, while those same countries were spending 1% of their own GDP on defense.
We have done our duty. We do our duty towards the Alliance, but first and foremost towards the Greek citizens, because Greece must be safe and secure and project a strong deterrent force, which, as you can see, we do, day by day, month by month, year by year, by substantially strengthening our defense forces.
Not simply by procuring weapons systems from abroad, but by enriching and imbuing our Armed Forces with a completely different mindset, with much greater emphasis on innovation, artificial intelligence, and with much more significant added value from Greek companies and Greek talent.
Our aim is not to spend this money and give it to some of our partners abroad. Our aim is for a large part of this money to be used to develop a dynamic defense industry ecosystem in our country, which will also be able to engage in export activity.
Therefore, this commitment, apart from its geopolitical significance, also has a very strong developmental impact.
Sofia Fasoulaki (MEGA TV): Good evening, Mr. Prime Minister. Let’s go back to Libya and the fact that in recent weeks our country has been receiving very intense migratory flows to Crete. You said that you will raise this issue at the European Council on Thursday, when you will be in Brussels. What will Athens ask of Europe, and do you believe that there is some political expediency behind this migration…
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: I am glad you asked me that question. We will discuss the issue of Libya, which has two aspects as far as Greece is concerned. The first is the unacceptable, illegal, unfounded Turkish-Libyan memorandum, and Greece will request -and I believe it will succeed- that the conclusions include once again what we said in December 2019, that this memorandum is illegal, is not recognized by the European Union, and therefore cannot produce any legal effect. I consider it important that this repetition be made in a manner that is absolutely clear to Libya at this juncture.
The second issue concerns refugee flows. Indeed, we are seeing increased refugee flows, especially from western Libya. This is not something that simply concerns us; it is something for which we are already taking very specific measures. We raised the issue at the European Council. I personally contacted President von der Leyen last Sunday and I am pleased that in the letter she always sends before each European Council, she included the issue of Libya among the topics for discussion.
We want to work with the Libyan authorities so that we can not only reduce but, if possible, eliminate these flows.
But of course, I want to be very clear: Greece will use all the means at its disposal to make life extremely difficult for traffickers who want to transport persecuted people to Crete. That is why we are sending our Navy ships outside Libyan territorial waters to send a clear message to these traffickers that we are not a place where anyone does whatever he wants and there is a saying “the wolf cannot rejoice in the midst of chaos”, because we have a wider turmoil in the region, thinking that these practices can continue.
And, of course, we always send a message of cooperation to Libya, to work with the authorities so that these boats -preferably, they are not boats, they are these rustbuckets, fishing boats- don’t leave, don’t set sail from the Libyan coast, or if they do, to return to the Libyan coast while they are still within the territorial waters of the neighboring country.
Maria Aroni (OPEN TV): Mr. Prime Minister, may I ask a question about Article 5 and the US President? How do you interpret the US President’s ambiguous statements on Article 5, which is the cornerstone of NATO, when he should be satisfied that he has achieved significantly increased defense spending? How do you interpret these ambiguous statements? Are they due to ignorance? Cynicism? Or perhaps something else, a different dimension, another direction for NATO?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: I heard the American President say that he is fully committed to the core of the Alliance. I did not hear anything of the sort in his statement, and his statement is obviously the subject that I can comment on.
I think this is a pointless discussion. Article 5 still stands. It is the foundation on which we build the Alliance, and I think, as you said, President Trump has every reason to be satisfied.
He was right to press European countries -Greece, as I told you, had already assumed its obligations- other European countries need to invest more in defense, so I think he has every reason to be satisfied with the results of this Summit.
Thank you very much.
