Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Monday reiterated his government’s position that “countries that threaten EU member-states with war” cannot participate in the Union’s SAFE credit line for defense-related procurements and to bolster Europe’s related industrial base (EDTIB).
His thinly veiled reference to neighboring Turkey and especially a standing 1995 Turkish parliament resolution threatening war in case Greece legally increases its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles came at the side of European Council president of the European Council António Costa during a joint press briefing in Athens.
SAFE, short for Security Action for Europe, was adopted by the Commission in May 2025 to provide up to 150 billion euros in long-maturity loans to EU member states.
Mitsotakis went even further, noting that “it’s up to those (third countries) who want to build good-neighborly relations with Europe, under the condition of respect for its (Europe) fundamental principles.”
Regarding the Middle East situation, he expressed concern over what he called the “unacceptable violation of Qatar’s national sovereignty” and stressed the need to “avoid any further escalation in Gaza.”
Referring to the issue of irregular migration, the Greek prime minister highlighted a significant spike in the arrival of irregular migrants to Crete after a long period little to zero trafficking, a development for which, he said, “the EU must provide full support to frontline states.”
On his part, Costa congratulated Greece on the country’s recovering over the past decade, allowing it to focus on competitiveness and security, which still require strong macroeconomic foundations.
