Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis took part in a roundtable discussion, as part of an event organized by the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, in California, together with former United States Secretary of State and Director of the Hoover Institution, Condoleezza Rice.
As the Maximos Mansion states, in his remarks, the Prime Minister emphasized the policy mix that Greece has implemented in order to address the challenges and global crises of recent years, aiming at the threefold framework: dynamic economic growth, strengthening the country's position on the international stage, and addressing inequalities.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis pointed out that the Greek economy is growing at clearly higher rates compared with the average of the European Union, is pursuing a prudent fiscal policy, consistently achieving primary surpluses, attracting a large volume of foreign direct investment, has managed to reduce unemployment by about 10 points compared with 2019, has achieved the fastest decline in the debt-to-GDP ratio in OECD history, and has regained the confidence of international markets, something that was confirmed once again by two recent upgrades, of the country's outlook and credit rating.
As the Prime Minister stressed, Greece's good course is reflected in the fact that, amid major turmoil in the global bond market, it has a lower borrowing cost than four G7 members, while at the same time Greeks who had emigrated abroad are now giving a vote of confidence to the country's prospects and are returning.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis added that the rise of the economy has helped place emphasis on another aspect of the “triangle”, social policy, resulting, among other things, in the implementation of a series of measured tax cuts and the cumulative increase of the minimum wage by 42%.
He also noted that our country is tackling the chronic problem of tax evasion and has effectively utilized the resources of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, thus securing significant funds for public investments and tax relief.
The Prime Minister also focused on the third axis, Greece's position on the international stage, underlining that our country is pursuing an active foreign policy, always with International Law as its “compass”, has substantially strengthened the deterrent capabilities of the Armed Forces, and on the migration front has protected its borders, which are at the same time external borders of the EU, depriving far-right parties of political “oxygen”.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis also pointed out that he strongly and consistently believes in the importance of transatlantic cooperation, especially in today's complex world. He expressed his support for strengthening Europe's capabilities, on the basis of the recommendations of the Draghi report.
Finally, the Prime Minister had the opportunity to outline his vision for Greece in 2030, noting to his interlocutors that it is a landmark year, as it marks 200 years since the founding of the modern Greek state.