Former Foreign Minister and New Democracy MP Dora Bakoyannis delivered sharp critiques of both Alexis Tsipras and Antonis Samaras during a Tuesday morning (10 March 2026) interview on SKAI TV, commenting on Greece’s stance toward Cyprus and broader regional developments.
‘He Lost Control’
Bakoyannis said Tsipras had “lost control” with his recent remarks about Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, arguing that Tsipras’s attempt to reposition himself as a more institutional political figure had backfired. “The rebranding became the churned milk he spilled,” she remarked, using a vivid Greek idiom to underscore the futility of the effort.
She stressed that while rigorous criticism of the prime minister is legitimate, labeling him a “figure of ridicule” crosses a line. “You can say whatever you like about Mitsotakis — but you cannot call him a figure of ridicule,” she stated.
On Antonis Samaras: ‘The Goat Shows Its Eye’
Turning her attention to former Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, Bakoyannis expressed disappointment that he had not publicly acknowledged Greece’s timely and appropriate reinforcement of Cyprus’s defense amid current tensions. With pointed irony, she invoked the Greek saying, “the goat shows its eye” — implying hypocrisy or self-revealing inconsistency. “I expected Mr. Samaras to have the generosity of spirit to say that yes, we rightly fortified Cyprus at this moment. But the goat shows its eye,” she noted.
European Defense and Early Elections
On European defense cooperation, Bakoyannis emphasized that building a credible European security framework won’t happen overnight — it requires sustained collaboration among nations with shared strategic interests. “Europe will need defensive capabilities — and here, it’s already happening in practice,” she said.
She also dismissed speculation about early elections. “There’s no question of that. Kyriakos isn’t a weather forecaster — he has set concrete goals,” she explained, adding that the government’s course remains anchored in delivering tangible economic outcomes, including those shaped by the ongoing war’s impact.