Mitsotakis on Erdoğan: If Greece had 85% inflation, I would change the subject too

Asked about the latest Turkish provocations, Mitsotakis said that the positions of the Greek government were crystal clear and that if he responded every time Turkish officials made provocative statements "I couldn't do anything else."

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday at the Berlin Process Western Balkan Summit, held in the German capital, that he too would change the subject from the 85% official inflation rate that Turkey is suffering from if he was President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Asked about the latest Turkish provocations, Mitsotakis said that the positions of the Greek government were crystal clear and that if he responded every time Turkish officials made provocative statements “I couldn’t do anything else.”

“If we had inflation running at 85 pct in Greece, I would also be trying to change the subject,” he added.

Regarding the Berlin Process summit for the Western Balkans, the prime minister expressed his satisfaction with the meeting and repeated Athens’ ambition to play a leading role.

Mitsotakis said this will be enhanced by the infrastructure that makes Greece an energy hub between Southeastern Europe and the Middle East.

Ending the dependence of Western Balkan states on Russian natural gas was crucial, the Greek premier insisted, and he repeated that all countries in the region acknowledge Greece as a force for stability and cooperation.

Elsewhere, the Greek prime minister said that the first reactions to the “household basket” measure was good, pointing out that the government has initiated a series of support measures in recent months, such as support for high electricity bills, the emergency benefit ahead of Christmas for vulnerable households and upcoming pension increases.

“There is easy criticism and easy promises but the citizens no longer believe that inflation can be fought with a single law and a single article,” he added.