ATHENS, Greece - In the final stretch before the European parliamentary elections, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis used a campaign event on Saturday to highlight his party's vision for Greece's role in Europe.
"These European elections have their own special significance," Mitsotakis said while touring the northern Athens suburb of Vrilissia. "In three weeks, we will vote for MEPs and New Democracy is the only party talking about the importance of a strong Greece in a strong Europe during this election campaign."
The prime minister emphasized the historical significance of his center-right New Democracy party's ties to the EU, noting that it was New Democracy that "placed Greece in Europe" and "put the national interest above the party interests and kept Greece in Europe in the summer of 2015 when we had literally reached the brink of the cliff."
Mitsotakis touted his party's efforts over the past five years to help Greece "obtain a quality of life equivalent to that of other Europeans" and become a leader in key policy areas.
"We will be the winners of the June 9 elections," he declared confidently.
The prime minister also touched on Greece's relations with its northern neighbors in the Western Balkans, emphasizing that they must "fully comply with what they have agreed to" in order to continue on their European path.
"This self-confident Greece with a strong presence in Europe is the Greece of 2024 and it is the Greece that will have to play a leading role in the next electoral cycle, which will begin after the European elections," Mitsotakis concluded.
