"The Prime Minister's victory, during the debate on the censure motion in Parliament last Friday, was so decisive that Mr. Tsipras had to hold a three-hour press conference to announce that SYRIZA would not participate in the voting procedure, effectively canceling parliamentary democracy." This was emphasized by Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, addressing today, Wednesday, the plenary session of Parliament, during the debate on the draft law on the ratification of the Protocol of Accession of Ecuador to the European Union Trade Agreement with Colombia and Peru, condemning the decision of SYRIZA to abstain from voting on the draft laws bills in the Parliament.
In addition, Mr. Varvitsiotis harshly criticized the general climate of tension that prevailed in the Parliamentary debate, the “collapse" of the discussion and the "mud", at a time when "we should be discussing calmly and on the basis of the available data”. At a time that the country is mourning the loss of two Air Force officers and is under daily Turkish threat, the Hellenic Parliament gives the impression of a a third-class TV station café, he underlined. Moreover, he pointed out the danger that the toxic climate could lead the Greek people to turn away from politics, make people choose to remain indifferent, and "turn their backs on the political system or resort to those who do not believe in parliamentarianism - and this is the greatest danger".
Referring to the substance of the draft law, the Alternate Minister underscored that the extension of the EU-Colombia/Peru Trade Agreement to Ecuador is in the interest of our country. Mr. Varvitsiotis presented economic data on the significant increase in our exports to these three countries over the last four years. "This government, unlike the previous one, has strived to increase Greek exports, so that we ended with a spectacular 40% increase last year. This endeavor that we have been engaged in at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both for increasing exports and for attracting investment, is related not only to stimulating the potential of the national economy, but also to increasing employment, wages, and, of course, the disposable income for citizens," the Alternate Minister emphasized.
February 1, 2023