It is better to talk than to be with the finger on the trigger, said Mr Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis regarding his meeting with the president of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, during an interview he is currently giving to the Alpha television station.

Referring to the conversion of the Monastery of Chora into a mosque, he characterized it as a provocative action and emphasized that he will request the reversal of the decision.

During his interview, the prime minister referred, among other things, to the issue of punctuality, the visit of Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to Athens, the dominance of VMRO in North Macedonia and the attitude he will take towards the Prespa Agreement.

In detail, Mr. Mitsotakis said:

-For the meeting with Erdogan:

It seems that Greek-Turkish relations have entered calmer waters. So, it should not be surprising that the Prime Minister and R.T. Erdogan meets The meeting was planned for a long time. There is progress. But this progress cannot negate the fact that there will always be pockets of tension. Our core differences have not been resolved. Turkey has not changed its structural position… Greece continues to defend its sovereignty and sovereign rights based on International Law. Just because we disagree, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a discussion.

“The dialogue with Turkey is based on confidence”

Today, Greece is much more armored defensively and politically compared to Turkey and allows us from a position of confidence to talk with Turkey. Without retreating from our red lines. But with a willingness to be able to achieve the minimum. And the minimum is the consolidation of the good climate.

“Let’s not argue with the finger on the trigger”

These are all profits. Obviously we still have our big difference pending the delimitation of the EEZ and continental shelf in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean – but we still disagree about it – and I don’t see it being resolved anytime soon – that doesn’t mean we have to be on the trigger or to be constantly in the red and to be pregnant at any moment with the risk of a hot episode.

– For the Monastery of Chora:

It will be one of the issues I will raise with President Erdogan. Because it is a really completely unnecessary and to some extent provocative action, It does not only concern Greek-Turkish relations. It is a monument of world cultural heritage and respecting this Monument to remain a museum is the way to highlight its richness. I cannot comment on the timing of this decision, the decision had been taken since 2020. But the fact that it coincides with my visit will allow me to raise the issue and explore whether there is a possibility of reversing this decision. I don’t know if that might be possible but it’s definitely an issue I’ll raise.

– For visiting Rama:

Greece is a democratic country with a constitutionally guaranteed right of assembly and no one would forbid a foreign leader obviously to come and speak to his compatriots. Consequently, the matter received more publicity than it deserved.

If the timing of this visit a few weeks before the European elections and with open issues for the ethnic minority is not the right one, but let’s not give it more importance

-For the predominance of VMRO in North Macedonia:

I am watching with concern some of the statements of VMRO officials and I will wait with great interest for the official position of the acting prime minister to see how he will refer to the name of his country. Personally, I disagreed with the Prespa Agreement. But I accepted the agreement in the context of the continuity of the state and recognized that, despite my disagreement, I had to respect it. The same demands exist now from the leadership of North Macedonia. I want to hope that what was heard before the elections will not be the position of the new government after the elections, because if this happens we will have issues!

-Actually:

The prime minister noted that Greece is not a champion of accuracy and reiterated that the country financially cannot support the reduction of VAT on food, unless, as he said, the opposition proposes other taxes.

-For tax evasion and presumptions:

We made a big effort with freelancers. Anyone who thinks so can appeal and prove that the incomes they declare are the real ones. Interfacing POS with cash registers pays off. We may have suffered some political costs for these interventions. Active interventions that have an effect. From 2019 we significantly reduced ENFIA, we effectively abolished taxes on parental benefits, the extraordinary levy. The policy of the first four years was to reduce taxes mainly for the middle class.

– There is progressivity in the tax scale, I think that progressive taxation is fair. 13th and 14th salary cannot be given to the pensioners in the present situation, nor can the tax scales be reduced. A priority for the government is the reduction of employer contributions, with benefits for both employers and employees

-When prices begin to fall, we will have to compare them with permanent wage increases. And supplementary benefit policy for households that need it, highlighting the family policy.

For the elections:

Elections at the end of the four years, we will claim victory with me as leader. I keep getting accused of 41% arrogance – they forget that the citizens gave it to us. It’s insulting, we have a democracy.

I have said that I have a 4-year agenda. It is presumptuous to be talking about the 2017 election now but obviously when this cycle is over and it will be a four year cycle. I am telling you now the elections will be held in 2027 and then we will put our project to the judgment of the people and every party is claiming to win elections with its leader