“Self-reliance is not a party expediency. It is a national necessity”, emphasized the Deputy Minister of the Interior responsible for Macedonia-Thrace issues Stavros Kalafatis in an interview with SKAI and the show “Mismatches” with journalists Yannis Dsounos and Christos Koutras.

And he explained: “It is a national necessity because this has been shown in the past, but this is also shown by the trends of the future. If there was not a strong self-sufficient Government to implement a specific program – as was done in the last four years – we could not have the very good results in the economy. And this is not only said by the Government, the OECD underlines it, reports by European bodies say so. We are talking about the export record we have achieved in our country. We are talking about the dramatic reduction of unemployment by more than 7 points since 2019, when we received it at 18.5% and we are today around 10.5%. I am referring to the creation of 300,000 new jobs. I am referring to the tourism record which makes us even more optimistic. And of course, in the constant increases in the minimum wage, three in number. In the dramatic reduction of the time for issuing pensions from two years to two months. All this was the result of an independent, specific and organized policy.

And I’m not referring to effective – however much some people want to criticize – external crisis management. The fact that there were exogenous crises and they were dealt with effectively is due to the ability of the Government to take quick decisions and deal with extraordinary circumstances. And I am referring not only to economic issues but also to national issues. For example in the hybrid crisis in Evros, where there was a dramatic instrumentalization of despised people by the neighbor. If there was no leader to give concrete, clear direction immediately, we could not repel it. This is what the past has shown us. The trends both in terms of geopolitical realignments and upheavals that are seen, as well as the economic environment that looks even more difficult in the future, impose on us a self-reliant Government of the New Democracy. Kyriakos Mitsotakis has proven that he can pass the country through allies when this is required. He has a structured program and admits, with bravery, mistakes, constantly improving the situation”.

Responding to a question whether the Government would accept amendments to today’s amendment for the Kasidiari party, so that SYRIZA could also vote, Mr. Kalafatis pointed out: “So far we have not seen the positive will to be able to manage the entire political system, with initiative of the Government, a leading issue. The stake is very high, it is now at the level of functioning of the Republic. We have a painful experience. We are criticized because we could not from the first moment achieve the absolute and most perfect legislation in order to be able to exclude the participation in the elections of a criminal, essentially, organization. What we want is for there to be a unified stance of the entire political system and we call on SYRIZA, even at the last moment, to abandon this stance it has so far and to come and vote, so that it gets out of this very important legislative initiative the whole political system united. If he does not do this, we feel – and the facts show this – that SYRIZA looks as if it does not want the Kasidiaris formation to be excluded from the elections”.