Greece is today a different country, his interlocutors emphasized earlier this evening Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at the “Konrad Adenauer” Foundation and congratulated him on the economic and political progress that Greece has recorded in recent years.

The president of the Foundation Norbert Lammert and the leader of the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) Friedrich Mertz noted that Greece is an extremely interesting investment destination and a strong pillar within the European Union. During the debate, Mr. Mertz also admitted that he had doubts about the correctness of the decision to keep Greece in the eurozone, but said that in retrospect he considered the decision correct and congratulated those who made it.

Referring to Turkey, the CDU leader called the country’s president Tayyip Erdogan to make every effort to prevent the escalation of tension in the Middle East, warning that such a development would be particularly damaging to his country, and expressed his admiration for the Greek government’s decision to keep open the channel of communication with Ankara.

“Compared to the situation a few years ago, Greece looks like a different country: with a stable economy, with a stable and impressively re-elected government. Greece has ambitiously reformed its economy, is one of the fastest growing economies in the EU and a very attractive destination for foreign investors,” said the president of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and former president of the Bundestag, Norbert Lammert, opening the event with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and CDU leader Friedrich Merz, on the topic “Greece and Europe – A new chapter”.

Mr. Mertz, for his part, congratulated Mr. Mitsotakis on his new electoral victory, speaking of a great personal, party, and European success. Referring to the years of the financial crisis, he said: “I admit that I was skeptical about what the EU and Germany decided 10 years ago. You had a Prime Minister who made it very difficult for us. But you did it. You have our respect for that. And the Hellas is today an extremely interesting country for investment. It plays a strong role in the EU and with you personally, your country is again a strong pillar for the EU and for its future economic and political development. We rely on strong partners in the EU because we face very strong challenges,” the CDU leader pointed out, with an eye on Ukraine and the Middle East. The EU, stressed Friedrich Merz, must now maintain its cohesion more than ever and in view of the possible return of Donald Trump to the US presidency. “Let us be prepared for difficult times. And in difficult times one needs strong partners. And Greece is one of the strongest partners for the EU and for Germany. Congratulations on your achievement”, he repeated, addressing Mr. Mitsotakis.

Answering a question about whether he, who at that time had left politics, would support the proposal of then German finance minister Wolfgang Schäuble for Greece’s temporary exit from the eurozone, Friedrich Merz admitted that from the economic his view then would be to support those who said a temporary Grexit would be better. “From today’s point of view, it would be the wrong decision. It was right what Angela Merkel decided, but there were also a lot of uncertainties and I think everyone involved was not sure. But today we see that it was the right decision. Congratulations to those who received it,” he added.

On the prospect of member states agreeing to revise the Stability Pact, the Christian Democrat leader acknowledged that there are different approaches between countries, but warned that worldwide public debt is huge and markets will not always be willing to accept it. finance. “Great care is needed,” he stressed, since, as he said, a possible new crisis would mean the end of the welfare state. He also highlighted the need for the EU to give greater weight to legislation that would strengthen the competitiveness of European businesses.

Asked about the migration crisis, Friedrich Merz reiterated that more needs to be done to protect the external borders. More money is needed for FRONTEX, he pointed out and said that he is making efforts to convince European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen of this. Referring to Greece, he said that “it is doing something that is good for itself”, but he also noted the problems that Germany is facing, as, as he explained, its courts do not allow migrants to return to Greece, due to the conditions prevailing in the centers hospitality. For Germany, he predicted, immigration will be a big issue for years, and an even bigger issue will be the integration of immigrants. “In Germany we are now seeing demonstrations against Israel and anti-Semitic attitudes, which are absolutely unacceptable,” he stressed.

Regarding Tayyip Erdogan’s upcoming visit to Berlin on Friday, Mr Merz agreed with Chancellor Olaf Solz’s decision to meet him, despite the two leaders’ differing views on the Middle East. “It wouldn’t make sense to ask him not to come. It is the right time to discuss,” he said and expressed his admiration for Greece’s attitude towards Turkey and the maintenance of communication channels. “It’s a very complicated area. The two countries are NATO members in the most critical NATO region in the world. It is extremely necessary and important for them to talk”, he said characteristically and with an eye on the EU-Turkey agreement on immigration, he spoke of the “common interest” of the two sides. The agreement “has solved some problems. Turkey hosts approximately two million refugees from Syria. We have an interest in having good relations with this complicated country and its president,” the CDU leader continued, stressing that Tayyip Erdogan has no interest in escalating tensions in the Middle East, as he said he faces serious problems in inside his country and if the situation worsens, Turkey would suffer a more serious blow than other European and NATO countries. For this, he noted, he should exert his influence towards Hamas and Iran to prevent escalation. “He’ll have to get it right,” he concluded.