The Alternate Minister of National Defence Dimitris Vitsas in an interview he gave to the newspaper NEA SELIDA and to journalist Foivos Klavdianos stated the following:
QUESTION: The flow of immigrants is increasing and Europe-Turkey relations are worsening. Do you worry about it?
ANSWER: We defend the agreement between EU and Turkey, we wish Turkey to follow a European course, yet we do not tolerate any dispute against our sovereignty rights, and migrants and refugees being used as a threat. The refugee issue is a clearly humanitarian issue of international law.
There is, indeed, an increase of the flow, but it is very lower than last year. On our side, we must accelerate the consideration of asylum applications, keep up the good work in continental Greece and pressure for the relocation in other European countries.
QUESTION: Do you believe that there are political responsibilities for the oil spill in Saronic Gulf?
ANSWER: No, I believe there are not, although the evaluation must be done after the first phase of decontamination is completed. Now we should focus on the real needs and not on communication needs. Our ministry provides any assistance it is asked and it provided also some new ideas of tackling the problem. An investigation into the cause must still be performed. Also, we have to face the problems that were created in coastal areas and certain professionals, and, first of all, provide assistance to coastal fishermen of Saronic Gulf.
QUESTION: We heard about the particular parliamentary boycott of the Democratic Alignment party and New Democracy party. What’s your comment on that?
ANSWER: This is a serious consequence of political opposition. Saying that you agree with something, but not voting for it as part of your tactics as opposition, means that you do not have any principles and you are only interested in creating obstacles to the government. The only thing they think about is how SYRIZA could quit the governmental power. The Opposition is trying to create conditions of misery and panic. The government, on the contrary, must create conditions of growth, stability and support of democracy.
QUESTION: Doesn’t this, however, have a contradiction towards SYRIZA calling the Center Left for cooperation?
ANSWER: The invitation, and I personally adopt it too, has, one might say, an ideological character. This means that the Left and Center-Left should find a new policy for Greece and Europe. The fact that parties like that call themselves center left, although previously they had embraced neo-liberalism, does not make them supporters of this ideology, nor of the people who feel center left. There is a whole change of the world based on the need that things must change.
QUESTION: We are, as the government says, approaching to the fulfillment of the obligations of the programme. What do you think, then, of the term “realist Left”?
ANSWER: There is no Left of vision which is different from a realist Left. There are moments when you have to project your vision, but when you are in the government you must do very specific things. And this has happened to us under very difficult circumstances. So, we do not accept this term or, better, this separation. We accept the term radical Left which acts with success, difficulties, even mistakes and does not abandon its objectives.
QUESTION: People say that the government has no more time to reverse its loss of popularity in polls, no matter what it does.
ANSWER: Gallup polls – which I always read carefully – will be really tested in 2019. It is then when a question will be set clearly on who will undertake this country’s governance. At present, citizens pressure the government in order to claim various benefits. In any case, a great percentage of the people are waiting and they do not forget who brought this country to such a situation and handled this crisis when it burst out. In the meantime, the last polls record a reverse of the situation.
QUESTION: In the recent Ministerial Meeting, the Prime Minister opened a list of Ministries and evaluated their performance in saving expenses, the so called “spending review” and the savings will be allocated to social benefits. Is the Ministry of National Defence ready to respond to its duty?
ANSWER: The Ministry of National Defence will respond to its duty to perform a spending review even better than the expectations of the Ministry of Finance.
QUESTION: The Ministry of National Defence has a say about the Greek shipyards. Is this possible?
ANSWER: The two biggest shipyards, the Hellenic Shipyards and Elefsis Shipyards are depending now on the orders of the Hellenic Navy. Yet the shipbuilding industry must make commercial openings to survive. This is why investments are required. I think that recently the Inter-ministerial committee began to operate and there is a great interest in the revival of the Hellenic Shipyards, Elefsis Shipyards and Syros Shipyards. We will see significant developments over the next period. I believe that an investor will appear for Syros Shipyards, the procedure of the first arbitration court over Hellenic Shipyards will be completed and the ownership condition of Elefsis Shipyards will be resolved.
QUESTION: A plan for the reorganization of the Army is pending…
ANSWER: A serious job has already been done and will be completed soon. Until the next week or in two weeks, the first announcements will be made. The base of this reconstruction plan is to create the most modern army and an availability of forces when we evaluate the threats. As far as armament is concerned, our objective is to be able to maintain and upgrade the existent assets in the best possible manner, and decide which purchases we should make. Another part regards how we can reinforce our defence industry and its exports.
The current structure refers to two things: history – that is it was a result of the Civil War – to the threat coming from the north. This must change. At the same time, it has a structure that relates to petty political interests, that is to keep an army in this area so that the shops in this area have clients. This will change too.
