16 October 2025

Kicking off his rebuttal speech in the plenary session of the Greek Parliament, Kyriakos Mitsotakis launched an attack on Zoe Konstantopoulou for allegedly violating the parliamentary rules regarding speaking time.

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Regarding defense, Mr. Mitsotakis said that the government has taken initiatives for strategic autonomy. “Europe has neglected its defense for many decades. Because it was easy for them to spend less on defense and more on the welfare state. We never had that luxury. But now the time has come when Europe realizes it must strengthen its defense,” he said, noting that he was the first to speak about an escape clause. “Greece has achieved something remarkable. We spend 3% of our GDP on defense, and rightly so, because it is a prerequisite for our freedom. But at the same time, by spending 3% on defense, the country can still maintain a primary surplus of around 2%,” he added.

“Would you grab Trump by the lapel and say, ‘Go back, Mr. Trump’?”

“You spoke, Mr. Androulakis, about still life. I wonder, if we hadn’t been invited, what would you have said? Were you bothered by the stage presence? If you were in my position, what would you have done? Would you grab Trump by the lapel and tell him, ‘Go back, Mr. Trump’?”

“We hope that the ceasefire will lead to permanent peace, allowing the Palestinian people to have a state with an entity that will live peacefully alongside Israel.

I was struck that none of you mentioned that the cause of this development was an inhumane attack on young Israelis. And I have said that Israel’s reaction exceeded all limits, and that the attack on civilians and children is not justified. Haven’t you heard this from me? Are you hearing it for the first time now? You, Ms. Konstantopoulou, referred with innuendo and sarcasm to the children we host. Do you know how difficult it was to bring these children from Gaza? We didn’t do it for a show or for publicity. We did it because we care, and if necessary, we will do it again.”

Closing Remarks:
“France did recognize a Palestinian state — and do you think that made a difference? Mr. Trump’s style and manner may be off-putting. I would tell you, Mr. Androulakis, to be more careful when referring to Mr. Trump. He is the elected President of the United States and a strategic partner of our country.”

ANDROULAKIS: …

MITSOTAKIS: “No, Mr. Androulakis, I am the Prime Minister of Greece, and I make my country strong and I make sure it is not the laughingstock it was under SYRIZA. I tell you truths you don’t like.”

FAMELLOS: (with sarcastic expressions)

MITSOTAKIS: “Yes, you didn’t humiliate the country, as you dragged it into a referendum.”

Criticism for Exceeding Speaking Time:

“We have said many times that we must impose a framework of self-restraint on ourselves; if we want to have discussions that citizens can follow, we must respect the time limits. I consider it an insult — both to me and to Parliament — that all the party leaders, while allotted 20 minutes, spoke for almost double the time. This situation cannot continue.

We must realize that parliamentary democracy has rules, and these rules must be respected.”

Second Comment:
“I want to refer to SYRIZA and what happened during the vote on the labor bill. Listening to the discussion, one would think we entered a… labor Middle Ages. But when we saw the voting results, 47 articles — more than half — received over 180 positive votes. SYRIZA, so as not to be exposed and vote in favor, walked out; so as not to show its unbearable duplicity and hypocrisy.

I will also give a response to Ms. Konstantopoulou. You referred to a trial that began yesterday in Larissa and invited me to take a position for or against the defendants. You have confused us. Your party, SYRIZA, had set up a ‘backroom operation.’ You did everything you could to prevent the trial from starting, which, however, will start — and there Justice will be served.

Justice is administered in courts by judges, not in TV panels or political forums.”