The Minister of State, Makis Voridis, gave an hour-long interview on SKAI radio today.

Commenting on Erdoğan’s provocative statement about the invasion of Cyprus, the Minister of State included it in the series of many statements by Turkish officials, including the neighboring President.

“Turkey has not refrained from aggressive rhetoric. Greek foreign policy has no illusion that President Erdogan has turned into something else,” he said.

Underlining, on the other hand, the usefulness of open channels between the two countries and talks on soft politics issues, he said: “We also spent hot summers, we also spent various stories with Libya, we also spent the attempt to create a migration flow, just by Mitsotakis didn’t work out for him”, and given that, he “changed tactics”.

For the Euro-Egyptian agreement

On the occasion of the Euro-Egyptian summit, M. Voridis spoke of “a big difference in Greek foreign policy”. A difference that is connected, as he pointed out, to the Mitsotakis prime ministership, and which is the following: “Until now, the perception we had in general was that Greece is a middle country […] now you have a prime minister who says: “I have alliances, I have to actively support my interests in my region and therefore I have to have a foreign policy that builds friendly relations, strategic alliances, which also have a defense footprint”.

Furthermore, “the prime minister today, what Greece has done and has gained a lot from this, is that he has highlighted it as a leading force”, the Minister of State underlined, bringing as examples the Greek attitude on the issue of Ukraine, in the issue of Israel, in the relationship with Egypt. “All this has shaped a completely different geopolitical environment,” he concluded.

And, subsequently, “Greece is considered a reliable partner today in NATO […] there is a strategic alliance with the United States, it is considered that (including Greece) is a front-runner country on a number of international issues in the European Union […] this is of practical importance in a number of issues,” he said and elaborated in his next sentence: “The prime minister went to Egypt and spoke about an issue of central importance, domestic policy, but with international features: immigration. He brought the whole EU to discuss migration policy issues with Egypt. He raised energy issues […] Greece is becoming an energy hub from where it was not”. And, at another point in the interview, describing all aspects of the international problem in the wider region (Israel-Hamas war, Egypt, Red Sea), he observed that “the opposition comes and tells us if the (s.s. prime minister’s) plane turned left or right. What to say…”

For Fredis Beleris and European elections

Commenting on the information that Fredis Beleris may be on the European ballot of New Democracy, he reiterated that the prime minister is the one who decides on the drawing up of the ballot. He, however, would “absolutely” give a positive opinion on Beleris’ participation in the “blue” European ballot.

However, when asked about the scenarios for Mr. Voridis himself to move to the European Parliament, he replied that he is reading them, however “such a discussion has not taken place”. He clarified, in fact, that he would not be interested, because “I’m doing what I’m doing now”, as he explained.

For Tempi

On another issue, the train tragedy in Tempi and Mrs. Karystianou’s speech on Monday at the European Parliament, M. Voridis emphasized: “We do not want to argue with the relatives of the victims, because we understand the pain. And one more conversation we will hear, and two more conversations we will hear.”

But, he added, “the opposition takes this and turns it into political exploitation […] there we cannot not answer.” He also clarified that his comment concerns the opposition.

He also wondered where the cover-up lies? After noting that there are two ongoing criminal proceedings, also that a second expert has been appointed and that an investigation into the contents of the wagons is underway, he wondered: “The claim that there are two wagons, which have been destroyed and nothing is left, can stand up to common sense; But we will examine them.”

Immediately after, he repeated that 12% of European railways operate with remote control and insisted that the former Minister of Transport Kostas Ah. Karamanli extended the contract in order to speed up the project. This, moreover, was the seventh extension, he added and pointed out that “the stationmasters and train drivers did not observe anything” from the general operating regulations.

At the same time, he directed his fire against the official opposition, saying that SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance, when it had the Constitutional Review in its hands in 2019, said nothing neither about Article 86 nor about parliamentary immunity.

Returning to the parliamentary confrontation he had on Friday with Larissa MP of SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance Vassilis Kokkalis, Makis Voridis wondered if Mr. Kokkalis does not know that he cannot abolish the Constitution by law. While he closed his report on the matter, pointing out that during the days of the current government, 100% of the requests to lift parliamentary immunity were accepted.

For the e-mails of emigrants

In the case of MEP Annas-Michel Asimakopoulou, the Minister of State stated the following: “I have no relevant knowledge, nothing related has ever come to my attention. Regarding the case, I know what Mrs. Asimakopoulou said. I know that the Prime Minister personally supervised – because he had said that he would do so – an investigation, from which the person who gave them (including the information) to Mrs. Asimakopoulou emerged, who resigned. And the man appeared, who gave them from the Ministry of the Interior to this person, who resigned.”

Determining that everything happened in the May elections, M. Voridis recalled that from the Ministry of the Interior “I left before and an acting minister entered”. In any case, he concluded, “what is important here is that there are persons who have taken responsibility.”

For Kasselaki companies

Regarding the business activity of the leader of the major opposition, he expressed the opinion that the issue is not related to where you belong, but to the general issue of transparency of politicians. Consequently, “why does Kasselakis bother?”, he asked, and invited him to say: “I had these companies, I had these shares, I sold these shares, I took this money and put it in this account. Why doesn’t he say that?’

In fact, at another point of the interview, in view of the European elections and seeing, as he said, the president of SYRIZA “wholeheartedly supporting” the demands of the farmers, the Minister of State invited the farmers to ask Stefanos Kasselakis – at the time, in fact, when will be on the tractor, as he said – for the aggressive green policy, voted for, among others, by the MEPs of the Left in the European Parliament.