Papastavrou for Novartis: No one will experience the hatred I experienced from my political opponents.

As chronic nightmares for him and his family the Minister of State describes the time period of his “adventure” from the indictment of the case to his discharge. Papastavrou also refers to Alexis Tsipras and his statement on the Novartis case, while he wishes no one ever to experience the hatred he experienced by his political opponents. On April 20, 2016, as Prime Minister, answering a question from the then chief of the main opposition in Parliament’s plenary, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, had stated that if I was justified, as was done, he would apologize. Mr. Tsipras continues to deny me the basic moral justification, as a minimal compensation for the mud and the shear they suffered for six years. Six years of nightmares, not just for me, but for my children, my wife, my parents, my friends. I hope that no one will ever experience the injustice, the persecution and, above all, the hatred I experienced from my political opponents, ” says Mr Papastavrou in an interview with “Daily”. Referring to the , during which he was next to the Greek Prime Minister, Mr Papastavrou notes: “It was a terrifying moment. The penetrating siren, which was succeeded by the deafening bang and then the smoke from the explosion – at not so far from our mission – caused a series of intense emotions that overwhelmed us all. In Ukraine war does not discriminate. It is a constant battle for life, freedom and independence. Those of us in Odessa, the city with the timeless Greek roots, we witnessed at a moment the brutal and uncontrolled violence that the Ukrainian people suffer daily”, concludes, in his interview, the Minister of State. Asked for former Prime Minister, Antonis Samaras, notes that “a “invisible thread” connects Antonis’ country’s governance Samaras in 2012-2014 with the – since 2019 – governance of Kyriakos Mitsotakis. It was that government that then, in extremely difficult times, kept – with the sacrifices of the Greek people – Greece in the Eurozone. With self-denial and patriotism. It was that government that laid the foundations, in which the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis plans and implements its reform programme. A programme that led Greece to recover the investment tier, to strengthen its deterrent capacity more than ever and to achieve macroeconomic indicators that a few years ago seemed impossible. So Mr. Samaras, whom I always honor, is entitled to express his views and disagreements, as a former Prime Minister who has, after all, special rights to intervene under the Rules of Procedure of the House.” On the subject of Fr. Beleri, after pointing out that “the Beleri case seriously exposes Albania and its institutions, ” he then argues: “There are serious doubts about the credibility of the process and the objectivity of the judicial crisis. And his presumption of innocence was trampled upon by a series of statements that prejudiced his conviction. The Greek government has set and will continue to raise the issue systematically in all European fora. It has linked Albania’s European course with the respect of the State of Law. Consider: the unelected Mayor of Chimarras has been in the position of elected person for 10 months, who is in prison. This is not a bilateral issue, but a primarily European one. Freddy Beleris must be sworn in as mayor of Heimar, released immediately and have a fair trial in the second degree of jurisdiction. Greece will continue to monitor the issue closely,” he announces by closing the answer. In view of the European elections, and asked about the rise of populism in our continent, the Minister of State stresses that “New Democracy has always been a mound in the deadlock and unexpected populism, which our country has paid dearly. This is the stakes of the European elections of 2024. If we move on to a competitive Europe, strong, which launches cooperation in the defence industry, whether to strengthen the forces of unity and progress, which go ahead Europe and Greece, or those of populism, which endanger our future. The vote in the South West is a European, patriotic vote. That is how we strengthen our country’s position in a united Europe.” Finally, in relation to the government planning for People with Disabilities, Mr Papastavrou, as well as the relevant government responsibility, states that “in the coming weeks the National Strategy for the Rights of People with Disabilities 2024-2030, adopted for the first time in the history of our country, with specialized objectives and actions in each ministry, while mobilising Local Government. National is every case involving all Greek women and all Greeks. Improving the quality of life of our more than a million disabled fellow citizens is a national matter. The National Strategy has at its heart the inclusion and aims to “double convergence”, i.e. to improve the quality of life for disabled people, both in terms of the general population of the country and in terms of disabled persons in the European Union.”