Dora Bakoyannis has provided full coverage to Aki Skerchos, responding to criticism of his statements about MPs.
Dora Bakoyannis spread a political umbrella of protection over the State Minister in the wake of the noise caused by his recent statements.
The MP for Chania, speaking to Parapolitika 90.1 and asked to answer whether there is a problem with party MPs and non-parliamentarians, she said:
“I think this is all due to a very big misunderstanding. Akis Skertsos has given seven years to the Maximos building, he is an extremely good technocrat, a man we all come to when we have questions and need evidence and he is a man who like the rest of us is entitled to his opinion. I think the article he wrote was terribly misunderstood. It is not at all directed against Members of Parliament, it just says that he is honouring them, it is just that there was a feeling that Skerchos was directed against the practice of Members of Parliament and so on, that is not true. The reality is that yes we MPs are mediators.”
On the reporters’ remark that “Mr. Voridis did not “read him well”,” the ND MP replied, “It does not mean that I always agree with what Mr. Voridis says. I think he didn’t read him well. At the moment we are all on edge, the whole Parliamentary Group, because we are under a general attack, which says that you MPs are miserable, you are buffoons, you only do buffets. We are receiving a psychological pressure because if the farmer who went to Kovesi comes to me, what am I going to do, I am not going to make a phone call to look into it, “Hey guys, was she wronged?” This simple question cannot be criminalized.”
Dora Bakoyannis referring to Laura Covesi said: “She has our full support, she is the European Public Prosecutor, I voted for the European Public Prosecutor, because the use of European funds must be controlled throughout Europe. So as long as Covesi is doing her job on a purely legal level, she has our full support, but there are questions, and I ask you a question, which I received from a fellow Member. “Kovesi comes and tells us about a poor old farmer who found her and said I want to find Kovesi because I have been wronged and so on”, what Kovesi did not tell us is what her reaction was. She had two possible reactions. One was to legally check the matter and see if there really was a scam in the matter of this particular farmer and from there to answer whether rightly or wrongly the farmer did not get the money. The question is how is this any different from the MP who has one and says “I am wrong because the OPEKEPE is cheating and please check whether or not it happened”. So that is where we get into the political positions. Ms. Covesi’s political posturing would have been better left out.”
He added: “Of course I have questions for Covessi, the only answer that Covessi did not give and which she owes to the Greek political system is this story of the leaks. I say the leaks were made by the European or the Greek prosecutor’s office.”
Asked about the candidacies in the next elections of MPs who have had their immunity waived, Dora Bakoyannis said: “Those who don’t want to run in the next elections decide for themselves. Mr. Karamanlis decided it, he said it, finally from there on the statute of the New Democracy is clear, they are automatically candidates for parliament unless they have a conviction against them. If there is such an issue, yes there is an issue, but that is for the judiciary to decide. That is why I have consistently for years endlessly believe that all these laws, immunities, etc. ultimately act as a boomerang for us MPs, because the sooner we go to the regular Justice the better, the sooner we clear our position or not clear our position if we are guilty, but this conversation stops.”
Dora Bakoyannis referred to the upcoming elections and asked reporters if Antonis Samaras would form a party, she said: “The last person in Greece who knows what Samaras will do is me. I don’t know what he will do. Parties are made when there are real needs and the prospect of a future, I don’t see such a prospect.”
He went on to say: “I understand why Mr Tsipras wants to form a party, I understand why Ms Karystianou wants to form a party, I confess that I have a problem of understanding with Mr Samaras. I don’t understand what the future prospect will be for Mr Samaras.”
As for Alexis Tsipras, he said: “That Mr Tsipras wants to restore normality in Greece through his presence sounds a bit like a joke to me, because if he wanted to keep normality he would have stayed as leader of SYRIZA and in the opposition and tried to make life difficult for Mitsotakis, instead he chose to flee. The creation of the new party will provide another party in the space of the center-left, it will make an attempt to make a ‘sweep’ in the existing parties so that it can be supported.”
Finally, in response to reporters’ comments that self-reliance seems difficult for New Democracy in the upcoming elections and whether he sees a coalition government, he said clearly, “With Velopoulos, it is out of the question.” He added that there will be a battle between three parties for the second place. Androulakis-Tsipras and Karystianou.
As he said: “One thing you can’t do in politics is clash with reality. The reality is that PASOK is 15 points behind ND, so to say that I want to be the first party is like telling you that I want to climb the Himalayas, when I have the problems I have with my legs, I cannot climb the Himalayas.” He concluded by saying: “We trust the judgment of the people. The people will make their decisions on who they want to represent them, especially in this difficult geopolitical environment. We in Greece are in an oasis of stability. Whatever the Greek people say.” Karamanlis to be present at the ND congress, because these congresses are always the beginning of the start of the new election period.”
First, in response to a question from reporters about visit of Macron in Greece and his warm welcome, as well as to comments by some that “since we pay so much, it makes sense that it would be warm” and that it “spoils the relationship with other countries.” Dora Bakoyannis said that the relationship between Greece and France is old and has been warm ever since Giscard d’Estaing gave the presidential plane to Constantine Karamanlis for his return to Athens (marking the beginning of the post-apolitecation).
As he reported: “The strategic relationship between Greece and France is a very old one. It is a strategic relationship that has depth, it is very important for us. France today is the only nuclear power in Europe, it is the only military power in Europe, and what happened apart from the bilateral agreements, which are not disputed by any party, that they were excellent and that there is a depth now in defence cooperation, but beyond that there were some very, very substantial discussions. The debate that took place in the Ancient Agora was a debate at the level of two people who are concerned about the future of Europe and defence. And what was extremely important was that we both agreed that Europe can no longer waste resources either but that we now need a common infrastructure that we will make for example a 6th generation European plane in which we will all participate.”
He added: “Europe will not go all at once, it goes in cycles, there will be a cycle of defence cooperation, which is now becoming clearer and clearer that it is now needed in this Europe. Europe has rivalries, it has China as an adversary, Russia as an adversary, and the United States as an adversary, and that is how the future looks at the moment. The US is not the same as it was in the past, where we sat under the umbrella of the US to cover us, that is no longer the case. Either with Trump or without Trump that’s over, so what Europe needs to do is run for the hills. Europe’s flight forward is its own defensive armouring. This is now mandatory. This will take time, in the meantime the whole of Europe will be buying F-35 planes from the Americans, but we are talking about the prospect of the future. We are obliged to look at Europe after 10-15 years. We are entering a period of absolute instability.”
The New Democracy MP for Chania commented on the issue. The people must be informed, it must be explained by the political leadership why this is absolutely necessary and there Macron and Mitsotakis are at the forefront. They are two leaders with a lot of experience, they have a sense of international reality and they have the credibility vis-à-vis others to move forward with proposals.”
