Giannis Kantelis (SKAI): Mr. Prime Minister, in your statement this morning when you arrived at the European Council, you spoke of the need to support the most vulnerable, the citizens, the European consumers, both at the European and national levels. Following this Summit, what should citizens in Greece expect, both at the European and national levels, if the government intends to take further measures imminently?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: First of all, Mr. Kantelis, there has been extensive discussion about the economic repercussions of this protracted geopolitical crisis, this war currently unfolding in the Middle East.
I believe it is common ground that the longer the conflicts continue, the more negative the consequences will be for the global, the European, and consequently the Greek economy.
There was wording in the conclusions of the European Council that opens the door to greater flexibility in taking measures, both national and European, to address this emergency. At this moment, I am not yet ready to tell you anything more.
However, I will reiterate what I have said before: that the government is ready, within the limits of its fiscal capacity, to address the impact of rising fuel prices and, potentially, electricity prices.
But now is not the time to discuss in greater detail the ideas we are considering in this regard.
Maria Psara (STAR): Mr. Prime Minister, when you entered the room, you also raised the issue of actually invoking the European Union’s mutual assistance clause.
Did you raise this with the leaders in the chamber? If so, what was the reaction? What steps need to be taken in the European Union to establish a mechanism for activation, should a member state come under attack? And how soon can we expect this to happen?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: First of all, Ms. Psara, I consider it extremely positive that in the wake of the attack on Cyprus, many European countries, led by Greece, rushed to assist Cyprus by offering air and naval support, so that Cyprus could feel completely secure.
As the Cypriot President said, this essentially constituted a de facto, if not de jure, invocation of Article 42, paragraph 7, the mutual assistance clause of the European Union.
I would say that both the President of the European Commission and Ms. Kallas, along with our colleagues, recognized the need to move forward quickly and take the next steps. That is, to draw up a clear roadmap, with a timeframe of months rather than years, so that we can have a clear operational plan in case this clause needs to be activated, and what steps we would take depending on the nature of the threat.
I believe this is a very significant achievement for our country, but also for Cyprus, as I have spoken at length about the need, within the framework of strategic autonomy, to give substance and, I would say, depth to this very important mutual assistance clause, which, however, had somewhat “fallen short” in the public discourse.
Cyprus’s situation presents an opportunity for both Greece and Cyprus to ensure that this discussion moves in a direction that unquestionably serves national interests.
Sofia Fasoulaki (MEGA): Good evening, Mr. Prime Minister. Today, the opposition parties criticized the government for dragging Greece deeper into the war, due to the interception of two Iranian missiles by the Patriot air defence system in Saudi Arabia. Does this move ultimately drag Greece into the war?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Ms. Fasoulaki, the Patriots have been in Saudi Arabia since 2021, following a decision by the Council for Foreign and Defense Affairs (KYSEA), as part of a broader effort to protect critical infrastructure related to fuel supply security.
And today’s interception was a strictly defensive action, which falls within the framework of this agreement we have made with Saudi Arabia.
Consequently, one should not draw any further conclusions, but simply acknowledge that, in practice, the Greek Armed Forces demonstrated their operational readiness during a complex exercise.
However, I stress, once again, that this was a purely defensive action, carried out within the framework of an agreement with Saudi Arabia, which, after all, has been a strategic partner of our country for many years.
And to those who ask, “Well, how does Greece benefit from such an initiative?”, I’ll say just one thing: if these refineries, a critical Saudi Arabian refinery had actually been hit, then you could be absolutely certain that the price of oil today would be much higher than it actually is. Because protecting critical energy infrastructure on both sides should be the top priority right now.
Greece and France also took the lead at the European Council in calling for the adoption of a proposal for a moratorium that would prevent any attacks on energy facilities, whether they are located in Iran or in the Gulf states.
George Papakonstantinou (ERT): Good evening, Mr. Prime Minister. I will focus on the long-range capabilities of the Greek Armed Forces. As you are aware, the deployment of the Patriot air defence battery to Karpathos has provoked reactions from Turkey.
In fact, according to reports in the neighboring country, Turkey has sent letters to NATO, the European Union, and the United States in an effort to raise the issue at the international level. How do you comment on these actions?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: These allegations have no legal basis, but I would say they are also completely ill-timed, given the broader geopolitical context.
Just a word on this: Greece does not negotiate with anyone regarding the deployment of its defense forces at the operational level.
Maria Tadeo (Euronews): Thank you so much, Prime Minister. Just a very quick question. You’ve always said the economy is very important for you. Competitiveness is very important for you. In the conclusions, it’s really not clear what is it that leaders are asking for. You’re saying “measures as appropriate”. What measures do you want to see on energy? Would you say this is an energy crisis or is just an energy shock what we’re seeing?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: For the moment, it’s an energy shock and we need to do our best to ensure that it does not turn into a long-term energy crisis. Of course, the best way to defuse the situation would be for the hostilities to stop as soon as possible and for the Hormuz Strait to open and for the energy supply chains to be restored to their properly functioning order.
But we need to be aware of the fact that we need to have a specific toolkit, both at the national and at the European level, that will allow us to address issues regarding the high prices of energy that hamper our consumers and our businesses.
And I would argue that this crisis comes on top of a discussion we’ve been having regarding European competitiveness. We know that even before the war, energy prices in Europe were too high. This is something that was addressed as a major priority from the European Council some time ago, and the crisis adds a renewed sense of urgency in terms of addressing the challenges that were already present, but of course have been augmented after the recent war started.
Jessica Parker (BBC News): Prime Minister, we’ve been investigating allegations that Greek authorities have been using migrants to push back other migrants to Turkey in Evros. Are you aware of these allegations? Will you be looking into them?
Kyriakos Mitsotakis: I am totally unaware of these allegations, but I would like to make a point, which is actually also reflected in today’s conclusions, that the European Union as a whole is not going to repeat the mistakes it made in 2015.
Greece is protecting its borders. It is my obligation to ensure that the borders of the European Union are protected. I’m going to be unapologetic about these policies.
And I would like to inform you that all the members of the European Council, through their conclusions, have made it very clear that we will not allow a massive influx of migrants and refugees into the European Union, and we will not repeat the mistakes of 2015. Thank you.
