Kostas Tsoukalas, spokesperson for PASOK–Movement for Change, delivered a sharp critique of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s recent social media post dated 12 July 2026, which addressed foreign policy and international developments. Tsoukalas stated that the prime minister’s reference to a casus belli was not merely a historical inaccuracy — it constituted a threat and an affront to Greece. He added that the proposed legislation on the ‘blue homeland’ represents a second, looming casus belli hanging over the country.
A call for urgent diplomatic reassessment
Tsoukalas directly addressed Mitsotakis, urging him to recognize the gravity of current geopolitical shifts — particularly following the NATO summit in Ankara and Turkey’s visible strategic, diplomatic, and defence upgrades. ‘After these developments,’ he said, ‘we hope you now understand that foreign policy is too serious to be left on autopilot, as you have done over the past period. Neither negligence nor misplaced certainties are excusable.’
Questions on defence and diplomacy
In the same context, Tsoukalas posed two pointed questions to the prime minister: Why, after seven years in office, has Greece failed to develop its national defence industry? And why has the government been unable to secure binding solidarity terms with European partners on outstanding issues with Turkey?
He also highlighted several recent missteps: the government’s retreat on the cable-laying project near Kasos; its inaction regarding NATO headquarters located in Turkey; and its failure to raise Turkey’s provocations at the most recent European Council meeting. ‘We hope you now grasp the damage caused by these decisions — or lack thereof,’ he remarked.
Accountability on Western Macedonia
Tsoukalas further stressed that the prime minister and his government are now in a position of accountability concerning Western Macedonia — especially in light of the recent local protest rally. ‘What happened to the funding you promised for Western Macedonia?’ he asked, adding that the European Commission, as early as last November, responded to a written question from PASOK MEP Giannis Maniatis by underscoring the growing gap between government pledges and actual investment progress.
Specifically, he noted that of the €7.5 billion package announced by Prime Minister Mitsotakis as the ‘next chapter’ for Western Macedonia, only €1.96 billion in public and private investments have so far been initiated.