Newsletters
Türkiye does not meet the conditions to join the Strategic Air Defense of Europe (SAFE) program as long as it maintains its casus belli against Greece and disputes the sovereignty of Greek islands in the Aegean, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Friday.
Speaking at the EU Summit in Brussels, Mitsotakis said, “I don’t need to repeat that as long as Türkiye has a pending casus belli against Greece, as long as the sovereignty of Greek islands in the Aegean is disputed, we obviously cannot agree to such participation.”
He added, “I wish Türkiye would change its mind on these issues so that we could enter into a substantive discussion on this matter. However, I do not foresee this happening in the immediate future.”
Mitsotakis highlighted the progress made in shaping a common European defense policy, emphasizing the integration of the national escape clause and the advancement of the SAFE program.
“We have already taken important steps toward implementing a common European defense policy with the integration of the national escape clause and the promotion of the SAFE program,” he said after the summit.
He described it as a positive development that proposals long considered national priorities are now treated as “flagship projects” within the EU.
The Greek leader underlined that any European defense plan must “cover all borders, not just the eastern ones,” calling it an important recognition for overall security.
Referring to the joint proposal with the Polish prime minister, Mitsotakis said he first introduced the anti-missile shield plan nearly two years ago, alongside measures for protecting EU borders from drone attacks.
“It is very important that there is recognition that any major European project must cover all European borders and not just the eastern ones,” he said.
On financing defense initiatives, Mitsotakis said the EU has not yet reached the point of establishing a European defense fund for joint financing of projects of common interest. “However, I will continue to present this proposal, discuss it, and I believe that its time will come,” he added.
Mitsotakis also addressed Greece’s domestic housing challenges, saying the government has launched a comprehensive plan to tackle issues on both the demand and supply sides.
“The measure that will be implemented at the end of November, the rent refund, is a very important income-stimulating initiative, but it is not the only measure we are implementing,” he said.
He noted that he asked the European Commission to help create a database for examining and comparing effective housing policies across member states.
“These are primarily national policy issues,” Mitsotakis said, “but I believe that Europe has a role to play, giving us greater flexibility in the use of European programs, for example, for home repairs, without being limited to energy upgrades only.”
The prime minister added that new announcements on housing policy are expected soon and that Greece could lead new initiatives in coordination with Europe. He said exploring European financial tools to address the housing problem will be among the priorities in discussions for the next EU budget.
10 min read
