April 20, 2024

Athens News

News in English from Greece

Mitsotakis: “We will not go to isolation, we have a vaccine”

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis gave a categorical guarantee that we will no longer go to isolation in an interview with Mega TV channel. At the same time, he said that in 2022 there will be a second increase in the minimum wage.

https://www.facebook.com/kyriakosmitsotakis/videos/1032797864207906/ There will be no new blocking

“The fourth wave concerns the unvaccinated, this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” the prime minister stressed. “Isolation was the answer before vaccination. I am adamant that we will not go into isolation. Three out of four Greeks are vaccinated. The problem today concerns the Greek minority. ”

“Now that we have vaccines, we will not close. At that time, isolation was necessary, ”he said.

Asked about yesterday’s announcements of tougher measures for the unvaccinated, Mitsotakis said it was “an agreed framework,” noting that “an important decision is to increase the 3rd dose rate.” “The third dose is necessary for all ages, especially the older one. I urge them to get vaccinated, ”he added, commenting on Phyllis’s proposal to indicate the expiration date of the vaccine on the vaccination certificate. He said the government is considering it.

Regarding the number of cases, the prime minister said that “Greece is the European champion in testing. We have a lot of cases because we run a lot of tests, ”he said. – Don’t count the cases, measure positivity and endurance in the health care system. We will overcome this wave of pandemics as well ”.

Commitment has reached its limits

“Compulsory vaccinations will not convince our fellow citizens to get vaccinated,” he said when asked if the government plans to extend compulsory vaccinations to the police and the military. “The commitment has already reached its limits. Most of the compulsory measures are provoking a big reaction, ”he said, adding that medical workers are still under the requirement of compulsory vaccinations.

Because he didn’t make arrangements for the churches

“The church is difficult to control, it is an open place of worship. Expressing religious beliefs has its own characteristics, ”Mr. Mitsotakis responded when asked to comment on the government’s decision not to require fast tests from believers to enter temples.

“We closed churches, we did not celebrate Easter in 2020. The church understood that this was the right thing to do. Churches are open places of worship, and there is no one to control them, ”he said, accusing SYRIZA of opposing freedom.

I urge to be vaccinated

The prime minister reiterated his call for all unvaccinated citizens to hurry up, noting that “young people are dying because they are not vaccinated.” “I urge people over 60 to take a step towards getting vaccinated,” he said, adding that “the battle for the first dose of vaccine is not lost.”

Finally, he left clues on the SYRIZA proposal for the general acceptance committee, wondering “will we be asking the batch for certificates?” “We are talking with the best scientists in our country and abroad,” he said, adding that “several intensive care units remain in reserve for people not suffering from coronavirus.”

Raising the minimum wage

“The economy is growing at a fast pace, which has surprised us,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis said when announcing a second minimum wage increase: in addition to the well-known 2% increase from January 1, 2022 – next year, “after we take into account real growth rates. We do not want to stop the decline in unemployment. “

When asked about accuracy, he stressed that this is a “global phenomenon” that is more pronounced in the prices of electricity and fuel. Mr. Mitsotakis recalled that “the government has spent more than 500 million euros to reduce electricity prices,” noting that if it had not taken these measures, “bills would have grown 10 times more.”

He also announced the implementation of the government’s plan to reimburse the excise tax on agricultural oil to cooperatives and young farmers.

Elections after four years

“The elections will take place in four years,” the prime minister said in a statement. “ND will claim victory in the first round, citizens will choose stability and security.”

When asked about the processes at KINAL and what one has heard about “progressive management”, he said it was a “defeat strategy” because, as he commented, “they don’t get the point.”

Greek-Turkish relations

“The point of the Greek-French agreement is clear. France will help us if we are attacked, “he said, calling the agreement” a burning desire for (the next) 40 years. “

“You can engage in foreign policy if you also have a strong deterrent capacity,” he stressed and announced that “Greece is more protected at the alliance level”. And he added that “Greece is not an aggressive country, but demonstrates a strong deterrent force.”

When asked to comment on the position of Chancellor Angela Merkel on Greek-Turkish relations, the head of government admitted that he did not always agree with her: “I urged her to be stricter with Turkey.”

Mr. Mitsotakis said that he did not interrupt communication with Mr. Erdogan, adding: “If we get along with Turkey, it will not be because of someone else.”

“Agreements are about states, not governments,” he said when asked why he had not ratified memoranda of cooperation with North Macedonia in parliament. “After the ratification of the agreement, I am obliged to implement it,” he explained.

Police: it’s a matter of mentality …

“Who are we with?” – asked the prime minister, noting: “We have a question of mentality in relation to the police. Are we with a housewife or a burglar? With the rector or the robber? The police are an extension of the state, and the police are the people in the neighborhood. Only the police have a monopoly on legal violence in a state governed by the rule of law.

Then he expressed his disagreement with what Konstantinos Mitsotakis once said in a conversation with EL.AS: “The state is you.” Referring to the fatal incident in Perama, the Prime Minister noted that “there will always be tragic incidents, which, however, in no way can negate the importance and necessity of the police for the community.”

He added: “And I emphasize that once, as you remember, in a conversation with the police, someone who had previously sat in this chair said:“ The state is you. ” It was wrong to say that. However, this in no way replaces the need to explain to citizens what I think everyone should understand: the monopoly on legal violence in a state with the rule of law belongs only to the police, and not to anyone else. “

“Green transition” will not fall on the shoulders of citizens

Referring to the International Conference on Climate Change in Glasgow, the prime minister said that these conferences are “the only opportunity for all countries to come together and agree on the binding conditions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.” He stressed that “these decisions concern the future of our children and the planet,” and that many politicians in our country are based on such commitments.

With regard to delignification, he said, “We are not going to carry out a green transition on the shoulders of citizens,” and – especially in West Macedonia – we will immediately create more and better jobs. ”

After a corresponding question, he replied that he did not know why Tayyip Erdogan did not come to Glasgow, and noted that environmental problems could become a field of mutual understanding between the two countries.





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