The Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister and government spokesperson, Pavlos Marinakis, gave a comprehensive interview focusing on the internal matters of New Democracy, Greek-Turkish relations, the former Prime Ministers Kostas Karamanlis and Antonis Samaras, and the expulsion of the latter from the party, speaking on Skai TV on Friday, Nov. 22.
Marinakis made it clear that “New Democracy (ND) does not intend to expel Karamanlis”.
There has been great speculation regarding the upcoming stance that former Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis is expected to take in his speech during a book presentation event taking place in Patras on Friday, following the expulsion of former PM Samaras.
The government spokesperson pointed out that the former prime minister expresses his views with decorum, admitting that occasionally Karamanlis has expressed some concerns and reservations regarding governmental policies.
He further referred to the fact that just recently Karamanlis expressed his approval of government policies when he said that the government is serving the long-standing national line on foreign policy issues. “He has the special privilege, as a former prime minister and former president, to express his opinion,” Marinakis stated.
As for how the recent expulsion of Samaras impacted the conservative ND MPs, he assured that all MPs and government officials have adhered to the party’s line, which is to proceed united, with no room for any alternative response.
“There is absolutely no issue with our MPs. Everyone in the New Democracy party is fully aligned with the common goal, which is the implementation of our program. As for what a former prime minister (Antonis Samaras), who is no longer part of ND, will do, that is his own matter.”
Regarding Greek-Turkish relations, he reiterated that a dialogue with Turkey does not mean retreat but rather assertion. “Konstantinos Karamanlis (the founder of the ND party) spoke with former Turkish Prime Minister, Süleyman Demirel, shortly after the invasion of Cyprus. Was the National Leader a traitor? One of the greatest patriots of our political system, widely accepted by all.” Marinakis highlighted.
He went on to point out that some decades later, Samaras, who openly accused Prime Minister Mitsotakis of holding discussions with the Turks, also held meetings with Erdogan. “Was there no rhetoric about grey zones then? Were there no violations? He held 6 rounds of exploratory talks,” the spokesperson recalled.
The government spokesperson also highlighted the fact that Turkey is not expected to change its stance overnight, and obviously, there is no Turkish minority but a Muslim minority in Greece. However, if talks between the two countries did not exist, the Greek prime minister would not have been able to state this fact in the presence of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan himself. “Therefore Greece has benefited from this story,” he emphasized. The policies and actions of the Greek government regarding Greek-Turkish relations are the primary cause that led to the expulsion of ex-Prime Minister Antonis Samaras from the conservative party.
In response to scenarios regarding changes to the electoral law, the government spokesperson ruled out any such possibility.
Regarding PASOK recently becoming the main opposition party, following SYRIZA’s MPs declaring their independence, he emphasized that it is important that the country now has a new official opposition party.
The spokesperson pointed out that the public will ultimately judge whether they are receiving a genuine opposition with well-funded, practical alternatives. Criticizing PASOK’s stance Marinakis argued that “When someone makes proposals without considering their cost, they are essentially presenting empty rhetoric.”
He further stressed that PASOK’s “no to everything” stance is only half of the truth. The bigger problem, he asserted, is the lack of any viable counterproposal. “Without such proposals, there can be no real discussion,” he concluded.
