ATHENS – “On the 50th anniversary since the restoration of Democracy to the country that gave birth to it, I wanted to be in the Parliament, in the place that the dictatorship desecrated for 7 years,” Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday speaking at the special meeting of the parliament plenary.

The prime minister underlined that this is an opportunity for reflection, with the post-dictatorship emerging as a critical point that sealed the history of the place. “Nothing that we take for granted today existed half a century ago. Greece was suffocating under the junta,” he noted.

Mitsotakis spoke about the resilience of the people who kept alive their faith in democratic ideals and the courage and wisdom of those who implemented the transition, led by Konstantinos Karamanlis. “The leader who took on the heavy responsibility of rebuilding the country and managing the tragedy of Cyprus,” the prime minister underlined.

“It is no coincidence that the anniversary of the democracy coincides with the anniversary of New Democracy. The compass of the party shows only ahead. We have been following this fundamental mandate for five decades, marching side by side with Greece. The integration into the European family is an important moment, again with Konstantinos Karamanlis as the leading actor,” he added.

“He succeeded in convincing a lot of people and is an important national acquis. During this half century, a lot has changed in our country with the contribution of many political forces. Parliamentarianism was established. Different parties can take turns in power. Patriotism, despite any extreme voices, returned to its original dimensions. The economy developed, with the help of Europe, critical infrastructures were built,” Mitsotakis said, among other things.

“Nowadays it seems that the central national goals are coming together again,” reiterating the demand for rapid European convergence.

“We claim this perspective today, drawing conclusions from the past. And just as in 2023 the country was better than in 2019, so in 2027 it will be better than today. In this last phase there were conquests that were by no means easy and self-evident,” he added.

“May the 50-year anniversary since the return of the democracy become a starting point for a better public life and a better Greece,” Mitsotakis stressed.