"I was in Odessa yesterday with President Zelensky when a Russian ballistic missile hit the port during our visit to the facility. I think we all have a message for the Kremlin: We shall not be intimidated, we will continue to support Ukraine and its brave people for as long as it takes. And, of course, we remain completely united in our resolve to do so," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday, addressing the European People's Party (EPP) Congress in Bucharest.
He also emphasised that the EPP must remain the dominant force, "the gravitational constant, the physical constant" in European politics and the European Parliament. "We need to make sure that nothing happens in Europe without the active participation of our political family, the EPP," he stressed.
Launching his address, Mitsotakis said the EPP "should be really really proud of what we have achieved over the past five years. It was not a given, we took a lot of effort to bring Europe where it is today," and personally congratulated Ursula von der Leyen for her contribution and leadership in times of "unprecedented global challenges".
Among these, the Greek prime minister listed the impact of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and an energy crisis which, he noted, had threatened to destabilise Europe's economies.
Europe's reaction was effective, he said, with initiatives such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility, which he described as a historic agreement whose funds were being put to the best possible use, to drive the digital transformation, for the green transition and to enhance social cohesion and economic growth.
"We showed our determination and our steadfast support to Ukraine with an unprecedented and, I dare to say unexpected, for our enemies, display of unity," Mitsotakis added. He noted that Europe has never before shown such a response, imposing widespread sanctions on Russia, while continuing to support Ukraine militarily and financially.
Lastly, declared the Greek prime minister, Europe had sent a very clear message that "no violation of international law, territorial integrity or change of borders by force can ever be accepted by our European family."
He also said that Greece was the positive surprise of the eurozone, achieving high growth rates without upsetting fiscal stability, while noting that "we could not have achieved this without significant European assistance."
Mitsotakis stressed that Greece has "defeated the empty promises of populists not once but twice," continues to stand at the core of Europe and has been able to steer its economy toward sustainable growth while maintaining fiscal responsibility.
"Who would have believed indeed, that in little more than four years, Greece would go from where it was to where it is today," he said, pointing to the country's restored credit rating, record level investments and lauded by 'The Economist' as country of the year, while noting that "domestic liberal policies, but also effectively driving a policy of responsible patriotism, these are policies that indeed work."