On Iran, Mitsotakis said Greece was following developments ‘closely and with concern’, describing the situation as one that ‘directly affects international and regional stability’. He said he had spoken with the Emir of Qatar, the President of the United Arab Emirates, and the President of Cyprus, and that further consultations with regional leaders were continuing. The strikes were discussed at the Government Council, he said, where diplomatic, geopolitical and security implications were assessed. He described Greece’s position as that of ‘a force of stability and responsibility’, called for the protection of civilians and respect for international law, and stated that ‘effective control of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic programme’ was necessary to prevent the acquisition of nuclear weapons.
On the Tempi anniversary, Mitsotakis expressed condolences to the victims’ families and described the disaster as ‘a night that deeply marked the country’. He characterised the trial, due to begin on 23 March with 36 defendants — 33 of them facing felony charges — as ‘a crucial institutional step’. ‘In a democracy, justice is the path through which the truth emerges and responsibilities are assigned,’ he said, adding that the state’s obligation had been ‘to ensure that the case is investigated in its entirety and that justice can perform its work uninfluenced.’
The Prime Minister also outlined a series of railway safety measures his government has undertaken since the crash, including the installation of full signalling and the European Train Control System (ETCS) on the Athens–Thessaloniki line, the procurement of 23 new trains at a cost of €308m, and the creation of a unified rail operator through the abolition of the previous fragmented management structure. He said a new digital railway supervision platform, railway.gov.gr, was now operational, providing real-time monitoring of train traffic.
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