About the statements of Turkey’s Minister of Foreign Affairs regarding the refugee issue:

We have heard this before and we have said that the refugee issue and its management should not be associated with the problems that you have within your country or used in juxtaposition with other issues regarding other countries. The refugee issue is a humanitarian issue which is governed by the rules of International Law, Geneva Convention and the Protocol of New York. And it must be dealt with as such. The refugee issue and the refugee flows are not a weapon in everybody’s hands, in the hands of Turkey or any other country. When one abuses them as a weapon, even in their rhetoric, he does really badly and, as you realize, this is a different thing. Such kind of threats should not be expressed even when a referendum is approaching, even when election is approaching and you want to achieve something. At the same time, there is a also second issue which regards our partners in the European Union, that is they must realize that the borders of Europe are the borders of Greece and there must be a single position in dealing with the refugee issue. They do not always do that, they do not do that in every case and they do not do that to the extent that they should. Greece has saved the honour and humanitarianism of the whole world and everybody admits that.
 
About the bomb parcels:

The fact that this issue becomes an issue of internal controversy, in my opinion, is a phenomenon of our times during which this oppositional mood can become as intense as possible. I saw the representatives of New Democracy party say incredible things. We forget that a parcel may have been dispatched from Greece and may not have been detected, yet, at the same time, it is imported to Germany and it is not detected as well. If a parcel is delivered to the Ministry of National Defence in Greece or to an other ministry, it must be detected there too. So, we are forced to play the game of those people who form remnants of terrorist organizations and want to declare their presence. What we must do is to improve even further, to examine, as Nikos Toskas said, what are the gaps we should fill in, whether there are any gaps; besides, the machines that we have are of high technology. If there is a problem in human factor or in technical factor, we can solve it. If a parcel addressed to Mr. Schauble were delivered to the Ministry of National Defence, people who serve as guards would have suspicions about it.

About the progress of the negotiation:

In December 2015, it was the IMF threatening that it would not participate in the programme and it took us until now, March 2017 ,to agree that there will be a new financial policy for 2019. Everybody knows that we have solved our problems for 2017 and 2018. So, the Greek government should not be blamed for this delay.

I follow a principle. I have a new list of names and when they speak and make statements, I give them the value that they should be given. Because the man who put this country in this dire position with his acts and his omissions comes in public and makes statements about an alleged salvation. I have many people in mind, former ministers, bankers and a number of other people.

About when the negotiation will be completed:

It is not the 20th of March yet. The argumentation about the issue of Greece being at the third position is not right. There is the 20th of March and the7th of April which are important dates. We all agree that it must be solved as soon as possible. But it does not depend on us. Yet if we wish this issue to be closed as of 2019, our society must be in a good position and there must be a clear path which will lead to new money and to growth procedures.

The steps are the following: we set our positions, we conduct the negotiation. Yesterday, the teleconference took place in which the case moved forward. When it is completed, they will come and the issues will be discussed among government members and among the members of the parties which support this governance. The final package to be submitted to the Parliament will have been agreed upon among us in advance – let everybody be sure about it –and it will be voted for. There are no procedures of keeping hands up and avoiding any responsibilities. We undertake the responsibility that Greek people has given us and will complete this duty to the end, until we are out of procedure of surveillance and, at the same time, we will lead our country to growth rates.

About the establishment of an investigation committee by the Parliament:

The 320 billion euro of public debt has been produced by a system of corruption which includes three things, underground moves, legislative interventions and persons. If all the three levels of this system are not destroyed, creating a new system will be a continuous confrontation which will not have any outcome. This procedure of purge is a growth procedure and is not related to tactics. If New Democracy party has something to say about our governance let them say it, but it should be supported by arguments. But we see also former Prime Ministers making statements although half of their ministers’ cabinet is either in jail or is being accused of something. I am talking about Mr. Simitis. Doesn’t this fact bother him? Shouldn’t he talk about it? I am talking about his governance period, during which he is responsible of what happened. I am also referring to the deindustrialization of this country and the manner in which this country joined the EMU and Eurozone. I am talking about his policy and not him personally.