"This is not just polarization; this is outright vulgar toxicity. The goal is to drag political life into the mud and create instability. I've heard many things—now they're even calling us murderers. Enough with this disgrace. This must stop; we cannot continue in this climate. We have reached a point where we are faced with this political atmosphere, "Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis said in an interview during the THESSALONIKI SUMMIT 2025, organized by the Federation of Industries of Greece (SVE) and the Delphi Economic Forum.

“I’ve been in politics for many years, and I have never experienced anything like this. The opposition bears enormous responsibility—all of the opposition. SYRIZA, in particular, disgracefully adopted these references to a tragic incident. A man has died. We don’t know exactly what happened. He was buried today. And yet, insinuations are being made that the government—and I personally—are behind this. I want to send a clear message, here and now, and I appreciate the opportunity to do so. I have a duty today. My primary responsibility is to keep our country’s ship steady in these extremely turbulent times. That is my commitment, and I will see it through,” he added.

Mitsotakis was referring to the case of 39-year-old Vasilis Kalogirou, who was found dead on 17 February 2025. His death has sparked a political confrontation between the government and opposition parties. Kalogirou was the son of Sofia Apostolaki, the head of the Appeals Prosecutor’s Office in Larissa, which has been involved in the judicial investigations related to the Tempe train disaster. This connection has added to the controversy and political tensions surrounding the case.

Mitsotakis warns of critical decisions ahead for Europe amid Ukraine crisis

Regarding recent US-Russia talks on the war in Ukraine, in which the EU was not involved, Mitsotakis remarked, “I have spoken many times about the need for Europe to wake up from the geopolitical and economic lethargy it has unfortunately been in for quite some time. And, unfortunately, recent developments and this different perspective from the US force us not only to face the truth head-on but also to move swiftly and implement decisions we have been discussing for a long time.”

“Now, with the latest developments in Ukraine, the time has come to make decisions. I believe that the next European Council—whether the regular one or a possible emergency summit before the scheduled March meeting—will be one of the most crucial European Councils. There, we will be called upon to approve and shape proposals from the European Commission that will finally allow us to tackle these challenges. We must not remain mere spectators of global events; we need to align our economic power with our geopolitical influence,” he concluded.

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