On the issue of the Unknown Soldier, he said that some people “make hair over hair”
“Self-reliance is not a matter of strategy. But, based on what has been happening, for many years, in Greece and in many other European states, the existence of a stable government is the only way for the country” stated the deputy minister to the prime minister and government representative in an interview with the “Real News” newspaper Pavlos Marinakis.
Mr. Marinakis noted that the only competent people to decide on all this are the Greek citizens and he referred to the polls where in 2023 they were showing exactly the same picture as today.
“By God, I don’t discount something like this happening again in 2027, but until then, I consider all this talk futile. For us, the only thing of value until the time of the elections is to fully implement our commitments, to continue to strengthen Greece and to improve the lives of the citizens,” he said.
Referring to the margin of new benefits, he said that in the coming weeks, a rent back will begin to be given to 80% of tenants and to more than 60% of pensioners, the permanent allowance of 250 euros.
“At the same time, from January 1, 2026, the biggest tax reform of the last decades will be implemented, which was announced by the Prime Minister at the TIF and citizens will see immediate increases in their income due to tax cuts, and much more the middle class, families with children and young people. From here on out, as happened this year, as long as this government exists and follows a policy of increasing state revenues by reducing unemployment, growing the economy and tackling tax evasion, without increasing taxes, the citizens will hear more and more tax reductions year after year, thus an ever greater increase in their income. We have a double duty: to restore all the injustices of recent years but also not to allow the country to go back to the policies that bankrupted it,” he said.
Referring to the possibility of creating new parties by Al. Tsipras, A. Samaras and M. Karystianou, said that the political confrontation cannot be done with hypothetical one-person parties and emphasized that it is not possible to “oppose” something that does not yet exist and we do not know if it will exist”.
“What is the position of a hypothetical one-man party on education, health, foreign policy? The political confrontation takes place in Parliament and in the “field”, where the government is called upon to implement its program and the opposition to create its own program which must be costed. All the rest I hear “verese”” said Mr. Marinakis.
Regarding the issue with the Unknown Soldier, he said that some are “triggering hairs” noting that “there was no difference in substance. The amendment was co-signed by all the co-competent Ministers and voted by the entire Parliamentary Group of the New Democracy”.
For OPEKEPE, he said that the Commission of Inquiry has risen to the occasion and society receives answers to age-old questions surrounding the “sinful” history of agricultural subsidies and from the testimonies of the witnesses, as they have evolved so far, it is clear that there was no government intervention in order to cover up the case – despite the cries of the Opposition to the contrary -.
Finally, referring to fake news, he said that misinformation, fake news, and toxic and divisive speech are not problems, but major crises that plague all states, not only in Europe, but also more broadly.
“We are the first government, with the prime minister first, that has undertaken such initiatives to protect young people on the internet. Personally, together with the Minister of Education Sofia Zaharakis, we are proceeding with a pilot program in 33 schools throughout Greece with the aim of news literacy for young people: “Cultivating Critical Readers”. With this program we aspire to empower the new generation against misinformation and the challenges of the digital environment” he concluded.