PM says will not compromise on national security issues, challenges leftist opposition
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged that a new conservative government will not compromise on matters of national security, while challenging the leader of Greece’s leftist opposition, Alexis Tsipras, to clearly state whether he would continue the construction of the fence along the Greek-Turkish border or dismantle it if elected.
“Will he continue the construction of the fence or will he stop it? Will he dismantle the fence that we have already built?,” Mitsotakis said during a visit to the northeastern border town of Orestiada on Friday.
Mitsotakis said that if the government fails to secure European resources, it will complete the construction of the fence with national funds along the entire length of the Greek-Turkish border on the Evros River.
He also expressed confidence that his New Democracy party will win the election on May 21 because “there is no alternative proposal for governance.”
The Evros fence has been elevated to the status of a key election issue that highlights the migration problem. The effective management of security at the country’s borders, given the experience of the instrumentalization of migratory flows from Turkey, is being prioritized by the government against the positions of SYRIZA, which are often characterized by a more relaxed approach.
