Mitsotakis: Greece’s ties with the diaspora are growing stronger

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told Wall Street Journal editor-in-chief Emma Tucker connected the sidelines of UN High-Level Week that Athens will proceed with hydrocarbon exploration south of Crete careless of Ankara’s objections.

“We honestly person thing to sermon with Turkey” astir Chevron’s plans, helium said.

“We are exercising our sovereign rights south of Crete, If what we’re doing causes some discomfort successful Turkey, so beryllium it. C’est la vie.”

He stressed that engagement with Ankara will continue, but “without illusions”.

“I’ve met President Erdoğan 7 times since I became premier minister. Keeping an unfastened enactment of connection with Turkey does not mean we hold connected everything.”

He pointed to applicable ties, noting Greece welcomed “more than 100,000 Turks” to Eastern Aegean islands via explicit visas.

On the economy, Mitsotakis formed Greece arsenic a turnaround story driven by stability and investment.

Greece present borrows “more cheaply than France and Italy,” runs wide fiscal surpluses, and has attracted €30bn+ successful FDI successful six years.

Unemployment has fallen from 18 per cent to 8 per cent, helium said, while the minimum wage has risen from €650 to €880 (AUD$1157.78 to AUD$1567.45).

Pandemic-era EU funds are tapering, but “there won’t beryllium a sudden cut-off” fixed different European instruments.

He named lodging arsenic the government’s toughest home challenge. “Housing is astir apt the biggest contented we look close now.”

Measures see returning 1 month’s rent successful November (about an 8 per cent relief), zero income tax for under-25s earning under €20,000 (AUD$35619.20), and cutting the 25–30 bracket from 22 per cent to 9 per cent, alongside incentives to renovate idle apartments and curb short-term rentals that “crowd out” semipermanent supply.

Tech is simply a strategic bet. Greece aims to assistance the assemblage from ~3 per cent to 10 per cent of GDP implicit a decade, leveraging talent, mid-to-giga information centres and AI research. But the accusation situation is fraught. “We will beryllium flooded with deep-fakes,” helium warned, making verified, watermarked contented essential.

Abroad, helium rejected Donald Trump’s bleak enactment connected Europe.

“Greece is surely not going to hell. We whitethorn not beryllium going to heaven, but we’re doing overmuch amended than galore European countries.”

Still, the Draghi competitiveness study was “a punch successful the stomach,” helium said, urging a European defence money via communal borrowing, quicker red-tape cuts, and existent capital-markets union.

Energy argumentation underpins some overseas and home goals. Greece is becoming a determination state hub—17 bcm transit the country, lone six for home use, while pushing renewables.

“We make much than 50 per cent of our energy from renewables,” targeting 70–80 per cent positive storage (batteries, pumped hydro), with earthy state arsenic remaining baseload and dense concern successful interconnections.

On great-power balance, helium called the Piraeus larboard woody a crisis-era bequest and said Athens aligns with the U.S. and EU successful strategic sectors. He highlighted India’s rising relation and the IMEC corridor, with nonstop Athens–Delhi/Mumbai flights opening “a immense opportunity” for trade and tourism.