“Alexis Tsipras’ book is not one I will read”
“I respect and appreciate him John Bezos and why he is an active citizen. Every nation is a product of its historical path. We have a special position without this implying a complacent Greek particularity.
The Greek nation has a history of 200 years, Hellenism and our language, however, a course of thousands of years.
The recognition of the Greek language is important. After much effort, February 9 was recognized by UNESCO as the World Day of the Greek Language. At the critical moment, Greece was on the right side of history and this was credited. We must not surrender to a sense of pessimism, I understand why young children today feel trapped, it is necessary to build a new social contract, which will give realistic hope and perspective to young people. This is not only the work of politicians, but also of all those in the public sphere”, stressed the Prime Minister in his introductory statement Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a discussion he had earlier with Yiannis Bezos, in the context of the conference organized by Travel.gr and Proto Thema entitled “Greece Talks 2025 – The Intelligence Age: Travel, Culture & Connection”.
“Adaptability, managing the unexpected is today’s most important virtue. Politicians are elected by the citizens and they choose from among those available,” Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized after the debate and added: “As Prime Minister I have signed a 4-year contract with the Greek people, he and only he has the possibility to renew it after 4 years”.
He also said that the question is how much politicians can adapt to the new conditions, pointing out that they should not only be receivers of external stimuli, but also shapers of developments.
“The digital transformation of the state can reduce the possibility of swindling. The same happens with the case of OPEKEPE, if we manage to build a system that pays those who are entitled, on the one hand we will have justice, and we will have built a system that will deprive a politician from using a crooked system to his advantage. There is a structural problem that we need to acknowledge,” added the prime minister and pointed out that in today’s toxic environment of character assassination by internet trolls, you tell me which young person who has prospects and options will choose to take less money and suffer the pain of public exposure and choose politics. “The distinction between the politician and the technocrat is false, I believe I am both”the prime minister emphasized and noted that “we must have the courage to confront and tell the truth. I am satisfied because I brought technocrats to the New Republic, who later became politicians, I always want and need new people”.
“There are problems in the mental health of children from the abuse of social media”
“The new generation is not informed by television. The way we are addicted to our phone prevents us from thinking about writing and arguing, it’s something that also affects the teaching process” said the prime minister.
“For me TikTok was a very interesting experience. Many people told me that up close you are very different, young people are looking for authenticity and this is what TikTok offered me. It gave me an opportunity to communicate with the new generation. There is no way I can go to a school and ask what my favorite food is and not get the answer from dolmadas. But who controls TikTok’s algorithm? This is a big problem for our Republic. Yes, we cannot say how we will communicate with the new generation, if we do not understand how the new generation communicates. On the other hand, I have not yet found a substitute for personal contact. There are real problems from the abuse of social media, which affect the mental health of children and it is something that will also require government intervention” said the prime minister.
“A dialogue with society is needed to make changes in Education”
When you have a national education system you have basic parameters and an obligation to modernize the content of the education provided and make it more interestingPrime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said after the discussion.
He added that “we have taken several steps in this regard, for example with the interactive boards. What should the school do? To stimulate curiosity. We banned mobile phones, we were one of the first countries and yet we succeeded. Above all, school should offer experiences. The Minister of Education will present in two weeks a series of options on how the Lyceum will not turn into a factory for the production of nationwide exams. We are not yet ready to say what we will do with the national exams. It is clear that this is an immutable and meritorious institution. Let’s not rush to fly to Kaiada and reject the nationwide exams, a dialogue with society is needed to make these changes”.
“Keeping the positives from tradition”
“Social recognition may be associated with programs of study that will not provide professional rehabilitation. Technical education is not a child of an inferior God, it offers real professional opportunities, however, by the Greek family it is still treated as something inferior and this is a stereotype that needs to be addressed. If we could encourage children to do anything outside of school it would be sports, culture and travel. At a time when people are looking for experiences more than goods, this can improve our tourism product. 40 years ago I went with two friends around the world in 80 days, I remember every day of them”Mr. Mitsotakis emphasized in his discussion with Giannis Bezos, in the context of the “Greece Talks 2025 – The Intelligence Age: Travel, Culture & Connection” conference.
At another point in the debate and commenting on PASOK president Nikos Androulakis’ statements about “crimes of honor”, the prime minister said: “I am a Cretan, I grew up with the experience of using a gun for fun, or that it is honorable. It always made me wonder, it’s a bit of a primitive custom. Now the organized state cannot tolerate this, we show zero tolerance for it. Guns are not for shooting in the air. I heard Mr. Androulakis talking about an honor crime, it is a cold-blooded murder and that is how it should be treated. For a number of years a similar mentality has attempted to give political legitimacy to domestic terrorism. Societies are educated and changed. Let’s keep the positives from tradition. The state has the ability to impose and change behaviors.”
Referring to demographic the prime minister said that “the demographic trends of Greece are not the exception, but they confirm the indicators of the western world. It is a reality that young people give birth to fewer children, it is also an economic issue, but not only an economic one. On the other hand, life expectancy increases, because the upgrading of care leads to the result of living better and longer. Managing a growing society, pension, health financing are major challenges. Life doesn’t stop when you retire.”
Referring to the book of former Prime Minister Alexis Tsiprasthe prime minister said: “I have too many books on my desk, waiting for me to browse them, I don’t think that Alexis Tsipras’s book is one of the ones I will read, I will certainly be informed about its content, you know I have a strong political opinion on everything described in the book. I will leave the task of deconstructing this particular book to others. I always have a reservation with politicians, who worry about managing their reputation, especially when they speak in the third person then I start to worry. How you manage a crisis at that moment I think is an interesting experience. Life after politics can have many interesting chapters. You write your own history, while you are in politics, if you feel anxious about rewriting your own history, you probably did something wrong.”