Government spokesperson Yiannis Economou began his briefing of the press on Tuesday by pointed out that “Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis is continuing the effort to upgrade Greece’s international position” in an international environment with huge open issues.
He referred to Mitsotakis’ first official visit to Qatar, noting that this “points out the special interest of both sides in the further enhancement of bilateral relations, particularly in today’s crucial conjucture of regional instability and energy crisis”.
Economou also referred to the explosion of natural gas prices and the difficult period that lies ahead. “After the outbreak of the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine it was apparent that there will be serious repercussions both to the supply chain and the energy market,” he explained. He noted that both problems remain open and are becoming magnified, taking the form of an avalanche in Europe and worldwide.
He said that the Europeans, including Greeks, will be tested over the coming period and that even the most positive scenario requires time that is counted in months not in weeks.
Economou also referred to a new attempt by Turkey to instrumentalise the migration issue. “In the last period we had a new phase of the migration issue as an attack of a hybrid nature on our country,” he said, underlining that 1,500 people attempted to illegally enter to Greece from Evros River last Thursday. “Greece’s handling of the migration issue is always guided by human rights, international treaties and the protection of its sovereign rights. Greece respects human beings but is not politically naive,” he said.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
