The Minister of Shipping and Island Policy, Vasilis Kikilias today, Sunday, June 21.
The visit focused on strengthening island life through projects that improve residents’ daily lives and address the real needs of local communities.
Mr. Kikilias referred to the ministry’s overall work, emphasizing the upgrading of port infrastructure, the promotion of desalination plants to address water supply issues, accelerating the planning and implementation of port projects, and further strengthening the Hellenic Coast Guard with modern operational resources. As he noted, a key priority is providing substantial support to small and remote islands through projects that meet the real needs of local communities and enhance their safety, connectivity, and their development potential.
At the same time, he emphasized that “the Greek government recognizes that the solutions to whatever problems our islands face—which represent a strategic and comparative advantage for our country— must come from the people who already know them and have tackled them in the best possible way.”
The minister was welcomed by the new Secretary General for Aegean and Island Policy and former mayor of Lipsi, Fotis Maggos, during a visit of special symbolic significance for insularity and the representation of small islands at the heart of government policy.
As Mr. Kikilias pointed out, “when I suggested to the Prime Minister that we appoint Fotis Mangos as Secretary General for Aegean and Island Policy, he immediately ‘embraced’ the idea as a very good idea that was put into practice immediately. So, of course, it is a symbolic appointment— the mayor’s appointment as Secretary-General, but also a very substantive one, as it will help us, together—drawing on our knowledge of the human geography of each island and the problems facing each one— to tackle them at their root and strive to provide solutions—always honestly, by stating what we can and cannot do.”
Regarding the need to improve the daily lives of residents on small islands, as well as the strategic importance of insularity for national cohesion and local development, the minister emphasized that “a person is honored for what they do, not for what they say. And when they are sincere and honest toward their fellow human beings, their fellow citizens, and the islanders, even more so. This is an inviolable rule of mine—first in life and in human relationships, and then in politics. Being half an islander myself, I fully appreciate and understand what it means to be on an island in the summer and in the winter. Here, on these islands of ours, in the remote regions of the country, it is even more important and even more crucial.”
Referring to the work carried out daily by the Hellenic Coast Guard, Mr. Kikilias emphasized that “our coast guard officers are here by our side day and night. They’ve been there for whatever the people of our islands have needed. The Hellenic Coast Guard is always on the front lines, and the efforts they make are, for me, not only a patriotic duty but also the highest honor we bestow upon them as they fight on every island, in our ports, and on our seas. I thank them very much.”
During his stay on the island, the minister received a detailed briefing from local authorities and municipal officials on issues concerning the local community, the island’s needs, and its infrastructure. At the same time, proposals and priorities for the coming period were documented, which are part of the broader plan for the balanced development of the islands, improving residents’ daily lives, and supporting the island economy, with the aim of strengthening connectivity and social cohesion.
Present at the meeting between Mr. Kikilias and Mr. Maggos were the new mayor of Lipsi, Evangelia Laountou, the mayor of Patmos, Nikitas Tsampalakis, the mayor of Leros, Timotheos Kottakis, the deputy commander of the Patmos Artillery Unit, Major Ioannis Nikolakopoulos, and the port commander of the Lipsi Coast Guard Station, Coast Guard Ensign Spyridon Drelis.
