Antonis Samaras, former Prime Minister of Greece and a leading figure of the ruling New Democracy (ND) Party, was expelled from the party after his criticism of the government of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Former Prime Minister Samaras criticized the Mitsotakis government in an interview with the “To Vima” newspaper.
Claiming that the government “constantly makes concessions” in its policies in Turkish-Greek relations, Samaras described Mitsotakis’s meetings with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Greek Cypriot Administration leader Nikos Hristodulidis as “unserious”. Samaras stated that this attitude is incompatible with Greece’s interests.
– REACTION FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO SAMARAS
Government Spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis, in his statement, stated that the views expressed by Samaras in his interview to be published tomorrow are a “radical opposition” to government policies and are incompatible with the values of the party.
Marinakis stated that Samaras’ statements targeting the foreign policy of the Mitsotakis government and his recommendation of Kostas Karamanlis for the Presidency of Greece were “the last straw”.
The spokesman also evaluated Samaras’ evaluation of Prime Minister Mitsotakis’s contacts with President Erdoğan and other leaders as “unserious” and his request for the resignation of Greek Foreign Minister Yorgos Ierapetritis as “unacceptable and unreal”.
– HE WAS EXPORTED FROM THE PARTY
Spokesperson Marinakis announced that the former Prime Minister was referred to the disciplinary committee due to disciplinary violations within the party and was expelled from the party as a result of the investigation.
In his statement, Prime Minister Mitsotakis emphasized that party discipline and national interests are a priority.
Stating that Samaras “represents an approach that wants to reduce the party to the level of a small opposition party”, Mitsotakis stated that the party will continue to be managed in a stable manner.
On the other hand, Ambassador Rusos Kunduros, Political Director of the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, resigned on the grounds that he was not included in the Greek delegation at the Greek-Turkish Foreign Ministers’ meetings held in the capital Athens on November 8 and his written opinions were not taken into consideration.
In his resignation letter, Kunduros argued that important issues such as Turkish-Greek relations and European-Turkish relations were not adequately addressed.
Source: www.star.com.tr
