The Alternate Minister of National Defence Dimitris Vitsas in an interview that he gave on Saturday 2 December 2017, to journalists Anastasia Yamalis and Takis Sarantis stated, among other things:  

Regarding the progress of the negotiations about the third evaluation procedure:

It has made good progress. I think that the technical agreement will be concluded very soon. The plan is implemented and everybody in Europe and we in Greece – unfortunately I cannot say everybody in Greece because there are political parties that expect, or even hope, that something will go wrong, but it will not – we believe that the MOUs will have been completed by the end of next summer.

The completion of the MOUs is a very crucial moment for our country’s history. This is the most important thing. And also Greece does not risk its membership in Europe which SYRIZA government defended by all means, in order for us to be able to play a much wider role than the one we had been playing over the last years.

When one serves in the government, the practice he applies matters and I cannot stop criticizing the fact that New Democracy and PASOK governments charged the Greek people with a 320-billion-euro debt within a period of 40 years, and this is the result of their policy and of this whole situation we are facing today.

Regarding the auctions of properties:

We have made it clear. This is a political, as well as a practical commitment according to Ms. Katselis law and the amendments introduced by Giorgos Stathakis: There is a full protection of what is legally set out as primary residence, that is a residence for persons up to 300,000 euros, depending on the number of offspring they have etc. There are two main conditions, the one is the value of the residence and the other one is the financial situation of the borrower, whether it is proved that he cannot pay back his debt or not. Who meets the requirements of Katselis-Stathakis law, are protected and thus more than 70-75% of these residences is protected by law. There is also the gentlemen’s agreement with the banks which will help this whole situation; so they will not try to perform auctions but, instead, have some initial negotiations with the borrower to find out a better solution if possible.

This particular banner you are invoking “no house in the hands of bankers” that people shouted in 2011 and 2012 saved the primary residence in this country. It was the movement, however, and not the banner that saved it; in a period of time when the GDP was decreasing by 25% and unemployment was increasing rapidly and enterprises were closing. That movement resulted in certain laws and practices being applied. Of course, there is a politically structured movement “I am not paying” and there is also that great movement “I am not paying” which has not been formed based on a political will, but on people who actually cannot afford and pay.  It is clear that there is no auction of primary residences.

Regarding the sale of ammunition to Saudi Arabia:

There is this issue: a surplus operational material of the Hellenic Armed Forces which had been considered as “not required”, as provided for by the law, and a procedure of signing an agreement with Saudi Arabia began. There were essential terms in the agreement which had to be met. I will mention the most essential of them: the payment, that is money should have been paid, 66 million euros in a particular account delivered. The money was not deposited.

The ammunition is in the depots of the Hellenic Army. It is a frozen agreement, and speaking of today’s situation, the humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the global concern it caused makes us reconsider it. I am telling you, knowing the situation over the last months in Saudi Arabia, I am sure that this will not happen.

One issue is the situation in the Yemen, which is a political issue; it is a solidarity issue for the people and the other one is the issue which is being discussed in the Parliament – I thought that the issue was over but it is not – and which is related to the procedures and the implications which are expressed. The political forces that started and maintain this discussion, demonstrate cowardice.

Regarding the authenticity of the documents:

As far as the implications expressed are concerned, I would like to be explicitly clear because neither the New Democracy party, nor the Democratic Alignment party say what exactly they accuse us of. In procedural matters, like the one they raised – the interests of media and finances which either turn against the government or they consider that they will fight the government by accusing Panos Kammenos, or a third part that directly turns against Panos Kammenos – they always refer to the same issue. They come to the Parliament. They are defeated in the Parliament. It is clear that there are all the necessary documents in the Parliament. It is obvious that Greece is represented by the GDDIA, that there are no middlemen and we conduct the procedure according to the law.

They sometimes even demonstrate ignorance of the law, I do not believe that they actually ignore it, but they do it on purpose. For example, they speak about article 9 of the law on procurements whereas this sort of agreements is set out in article 107. They know it but they try to create an issue. This is their main purpose.

After their arguments are contradicted, they give interviews to continue this debate. The government handled this case by applying the strictest possible rules of transparency. It is the first time that the Ministry of National Defence published a number of documents with such great carefulness; they even addressed requests to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and received official documents which prove what we state; moreover, they have never said whether someone represented Greece in this discussion.

Mr. Papadopoulos has been declared as representative in every document and he is not referred to as an intermediary in any of them. A middleman is a man who purchases from Greece and sells to another state by ensuring a certain amount of profit. That was an intergovernmental agreement and no-one questions the willingness this agreement to be concluded.

If they want to write a detective novel and they are looking for an end of the story and they cannot find one because its end does not vindicate their allegations, that is their hero dies in the end, they will go on with this because everybody can have an obsession to see his statements vindicated. So no matter how many times his arguments are contradicted, he tries again.

Regarding a recent article in newspaper PARAPOLITIKA:

Panos Kammenos, the Minister of National Defence and I read such kind of articles in this newspaper, as well as in other ones, and we laugh at them. However, there is a lack of coordination, as it seems, between the two poles, the one that guides and the one that supports. It seems that New Democracy raised this issue first, before this newspaper did, because – I remind you – both the New Democracy MPs and its Leader Mr. Mitsotakis referred to it during the discussion in the Parliament. And, of course, when an intergovernmental agreement is being discussed, it is a government to government deal.
 
Just see the craftiness of this article, it just alleges that the man is a middleman and then, considering this as true, while it is not, it develops an entire story. When a state discusses with another state, it is a discussion between them. The manner in which they discuss regards each state. We, the Ministry of National Defence, we choose the General Directorate of Defence Armaments. Can we go to Saudi Arabia and tell them that we will select their representative? What do you think? Can we do this?

Regarding the refugee issue:

A number of meetings have taken place and very soon the situation in the first reception camps, on the islands, will have been fully controlled until 10 December as far as accommodation, heating and a series of works of preparation for winter. I am setting a date also because a big part of this job has been undertaken by the Armed Forces and some action has been taken. At the same time, there is a complete plan to reduce the gathering crowd of the islands which will be completed within December.

Regarding the visit of the President of Turkey and the possibility of its combination with violations:

Firstly, we will deter this fact and this is what we always do. We, Greece, we support Turkey’s European course. Of course, the point is whether Turkey itself supports it. But the issues of our sovereignty – and of the European sovereignty as well, because as the President of the Republic correctly says, the notion of sovereignty in the EU has changed, but this means that it has somehow strengthened – are not under discussion.

In this case, this will cause an immediate response, but usually, when such meetings take place, violations are not committed. Our point, however, is that we don’t want violations to be committed at all, and not only during visits. During Nikos Kotzias’ recent visit to Turkey, there was a two-day time during which there were no violations, but this was not continued later. I would like to refer, on one hand, to the issue of the sovereignty and, on the other hand, to the financial issue. However, we will always be the last ones to land and to arrive at the port after performing the interception, as long as violations are committed.