“The Greek borders are inaccessible and our homeland is safe. Their watchful guard, the Greek Armed Forces, stands on a twenty-four-hour basis on the ramparts so that we all feel safe and they are systematically reinforced, with the aim of creating the strongest army in modern Greek history.” This was emphasized, among others, by the Deputy Minister of National Defence, Nikos Hardaliasin an interview with the newspaper “Karfitsa”.

He pointed out that the government has moved forward with “flagship armament programs” such as the procurement of state-of-the-art Rafale jets and newly built Belharra frigates, the purchase of a squadron of fifth-generation F-35 aircraft and the upgrade of Leopard 2A4 tanks.

“Our vision is a strong and self-confident Greece, which will not only be invulnerable to anyone who may challenge its sovereignty or sovereign rights, but will also act as a key pillar of international peace and security in the wider Balkan and Eastern region Mediterranean” he pointed out.

He made it clear that he does not believe in “remote and impersonal management behind a desk” and for this reason, “in the almost twenty months that I have been in the ministry, I have visited 261 Units and Formations and traveled more than 40,000 kilometers, from one end to the other of the Greek territory”.

“I listened attentively to our executives, conscripts and national guards, I learned a lot and tried to resolve as many issues as I could, some of which were chronic,” he added.

Regarding the fence on the Evros, N. Hardalias said “since the migration and refugee flows are proven susceptible to instrumentalization and manipulation, in the context of hybrid tactics aimed at destabilization and extortion, the migration and refugee issue has been reduced to a national defense issue and security. Not only Greek, but also European, since the border on the Evros is also a European border”.

As he said, “the relevant contract for the construction-extension of the fence, which will reach 140 kilometers and will stretch across the Evros border, has already been signed. Its surveillance systems will be further improved, new Army and Police outposts will be built and hundreds of new border guards will be hired. Nobody and nothing is going to stop us from securing our borders.”

For elections, N. Hardalias characterized the first ballot as critical as “it will determine everything. Which will be the first party, who should be prime minister, which path will the country follow”.

“We are voting”, he added, “for a party and a prime minister, for a government proposal and an ideology”.

The central dilemmas, as he emphasized, are: “Who will represent Greece abroad. Who will stand against a neighbor who has shown that he can be aggressive, but also who can discuss with him in the event that we find a field of understanding based on International Law. Who wants and can protect our borders. Who will continue on the path of development that we laboriously ensured, bringing Greece from the tail to the vanguard of the European Union. Who will lead the country to the investment stage. Who can bring new investments, new businesses, new jobs. Who reduces taxes and contributions and who reserves a new tax raid”.

“On May 21, we will vote so that the country can move forward steadily, dynamically, with even greater courage. To preserve the achievements of a difficult four years, but also to build on the foundations we laid. Let’s take Greece further, more safely, with more jobs, better wages, better free health services for everyone and more social cohesion,” he added.

We say to those who “look to the right of the New Republic to remember the effectiveness of our policy in the face of the Turkish challenges, the upgrading and expansion of our international alliances, the strengthening of our Armed Forces, the effectiveness of our immigration policy, the fact that the Greece is becoming stronger economically, geopolitically, militarily.”

“We say”, he continued, “to all Greek women and men to compare four years. The four years 2015-2019 when Mr. Tsipras was prime minister and the four years in which Kyriakos Mitsotakis was prime minister”.

“To realize that what we achieved in the four years are not facts and can easily be lost from one moment to the next. Let’s not forget the referendums, the closed banks, the overtaxation, the delusions, the bluffs that cost us all so much. “Never before have so few done so much harm in such a short period of time,” he pointed out.

Regarding self-reliance, he made it clear that “it is neither party expediency, nor arrogance, but a national necessity.”

“It is a condition,” he added, “for the country to move forward faster, more decisively.” That the country does not fall into a state of anarchy and inability to make decisions”.

“In an uncertain world, in a neighborhood with challenges that require an immediate response, we need a stable and strong government with the ability to make quick decisions, with clear positions on the major issues that concern our country” he underlined.

“A government that can lead the country safely and solidly forward. And today there is only one governance proposal: the strong, self-reliant New Republic for a strong and self-reliant Greece” concluded the Deputy Minister of National Defense.