“The country’s return to normality is the work of Kyriakos Mitsotakis,” Apostolos Tzitzikostas said from the podium of the 6th pre-conference of the New Democracy.
“The Greece of 2019 has nothing to do with the Greece of 2026. And today we can proudly look back on overcoming the economic crisis and returning to normality and this improvement is the work of our own governments, the work of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis,” said Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas from the podium of the 6th pre-conference of New Democracy, held in Thessaloniki. “It was not at all easy and it was not simple either to transform a country from a scapegoat to a protagonist of developments, especially in a period of global crisis, such as the pandemic, the war, the energy crisis, the migration crisis,” he stressed.
Talking about his experience as European Commissioner and comparing our country with others, Apostolos Tzitzikostas said: “The government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the New Democracy has achieved important victories for the country and the Greeks.” “As a Greek Commissioner, I am proud abroad when I visit the countries of Europe and outside Europe and I see now how they treat us Greeks who, unfortunately, a few years ago we did not have the face to face anyone, to discuss with anyone, to negotiate with anyone,” he added.
Speaking more broadly, Apostolos Tzitzikostas noted in his speech that: “Europe today sees Northern Greece in particular as a strategic hub for transport, exports, supply chain, energy, tourism, military mobility.”
“This Greece, the Greece of the periphery, is not asking anyone for special treatment. It is asking to be recognized for what it really is, a force for national development and a gateway to the country’s future. And this is something that our party understands over time,” Apostolos Tzitzikostas stressed. “Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis invests in the strategic role of Northern Greece and proves this in practice with projects that upgrade everyday life and at the same time create strong growth prospects,” he pointed out.
Addressing the interior of New Democracy, Apostolos Tzitzikostas said: “The New Democracy was and remains the great popular party of the country and the party of national choices, the party that told the truth in difficult times, that did not succumb to the sirens of populism, that paid political costs when it was needed, that never hesitated to put the country above the party.” “This is the reason why today we can look citizens in the eyes and it is the reason why today New Democracy remains one of the largest political parties in the European area, a foundation of democracy and institutional social normality,” he stressed.
Referring to geopolitical developments, Apostolos Tzitzikostas noted that “returning to fundamental principles and values, Europe remembers again that peace needs defence, that development needs infrastructure, that borders must be protected, that is, it remembers all that we in Greece and especially in New Democracy have never forgotten”.
“Europe is responding“, Apostolos Tzitzikostas stressed, as it “strengthens its defence, enhances its competitiveness, promotes industrial regeneration, shields its energy autonomy, creates a military Schengen and continues to invest in its strategic alliances”.
“Competitiveness along with defence and security are the top priorities of the European Union today. These are strategic choices, not conjunctural decisions”, concluded the speech of the Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
