“I hope that logic will prevail” and that the legal pending issues will be resolved so that “those convicted of participation in a criminal organization – and even of a Nazi nature, which challenges our democratic constitution – will not participate as candidates in the elections, either directly or indirectly”, emphasized Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, speaking today on “Parapolitika 90.1” radio station and journalist Kelly Kontogeorgi.
Referring to the upcoming national elections, Mr. Varvitsiotis underscored that “the party of New Democracy is ready, it is on election alert”. “It is unprecedented for a government that has dealt with so many different crises to demonstrate such resilience. This is something that gives us optimism, though there’s no doubt that it will be a crucial electoral battle”, the Alternate Minister said, adding that “it will be up to Greek citizens to decide whether they wish to continue steadily with the country’s change for the better” or “whether we wish to return to the time when state interventionism used to overshadow the economy, when there used to be substantial ruptures in our country’s presence in the international community and a “messy reality” witnessed by citizens who experienced natural disasters and the inability of the state to respond to them”.
Lastly, asked about the risk of further aggravation of relations with Turkey, Mr. Varvitsiotis noted that “no one can rule out the possibility of an escalation”. However, considering that alongside its “unprecedented aggressive rhetoric” towards Greece, Ankara is “trying to reopen the channel with the US and gain access to such as the F-16s”, the Alternate Minister estimated that Turkish President Erdogan’s policy would probably “not evolve into a policy of military engagement with Greece, which could be fatal for him as well, not just militarily but also politically”.