In one of the first placements of members of the Greek government After US involvement in Israel and Iran conflictthe Deputy Minister under the Prime Minister Thanasis Kontogeorgis, Speaking to ERT1, he did not hide that “we are extremely concerned about the escalation of the crisis”.
But he continued, the Greek government will stick to two key positions he had, he said, from the beginning of the crisis: “First, that Iran should not acquire nuclear weapons, secondly this must be done through a diplomatic settlement.” However, “Europe cannot do this on its own, it appeared yesterday in the conversations that took place. This is possible by the United States of America, “he noted and added:
“Our country will have no involvement and no involvement in these hostilities. Always our foreign policy is the foreign policy of principles -and we will insist on it. ” Especially for the financial part, “no one can know. Does anyone know how the next 48 hours will evolve critical, or the next few days? “He asked. In any case, he added, “There is readiness” in the financial staff and not only, on issues such as inflation, shipping, tourism.
One factor that makes it difficult to estimate, he acknowledged, is that we are talking about “an area in which no scenarios and linear forecasts fit.” In other words, “estimates can be made, but the Middle East always has surprises. We are worried, we are not afraid, “he said.
“We are talking about events with a global footprint, if one says that a country will remain unaffected, this is at least naive. But our economy is not a feather in the wind. The conditions in which this crisis finds us are certainly much better than they were in the past, both in terms of budget and the command we have made for such times of crisis, ”he assured. While being asked specifically about possible impact on tourism, he said that “Except for the Israeli market, we have no other evidence that reservations are being canceled.”
And to the question, if the ongoing conflict can influence government announcements at the Thessaloniki International Exhibition, the Deputy Minister under the Prime Minister said: “Our will and assessment is that this is not going to change. The length of a crisis obviously affects the wider conditions. ” In conclusion, the government’s direction for the TIF, – that is, tax exemptions, income improvement, and public investment program – “this will not change”.
While on another question, whether the most vulnerable in the event of an energy crisis will be supported, Th. Kontogeorgis would be categorical: “This is a given, we have shown it many times. If there are serious adjustments, the government will intervene. “
Another issue was the positions of Turkey’s Foreign Minister, Hakan Fidan for the Muslim minority in our country and the Cyprus issue. In these, the Deputy Minister, rather than the Prime Minister, noted that such statements “do not help and are not productive. Compared to the Cyprus issue, the framework set by the decisions of the UN Security Council is known, what can be a solution and what the road. We are in a political dialogue with Turkey, the dividing lines are clear. “
And he closed his response, stressing that “because Greece has exerted its sovereign rights in recent years, it obviously provokes broader reactions. But we feel confident with our foreign policy, – in an extremely volatile environment – and in a way that we do not produce noise. It is essential, effective. To have confidence in our foreign policy, “he asked for.