ATHENS — Greece, as a modern and just country in progress, "cannot possibly exclude or segregate its citizens, and members of the LGBTQ+ community should have an equal position in the economic, political and social life of Greece," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a meeting to establish a committee to work on a national strategy for the equal rights of the LGBTQ+ community, Mitsotakis said their equal standing in society "is an individual right and a state obligation, and I believe this is a mature change in the nation's interest."

According to government sources, the aim of the committee will be "the drafting of a comprehensive plan that will horizontally define the strategy, the targets and the ministries and all the involved agencies actions for the planning, drafting and implemementation of policies for LGBTQ+ persons, mostly in the period 2021-2023".

Former president of the European Court of Human Rights Linos Alexandros Sisilianos, with whom Mitsotakis met the same day, was appointed head of the committee. "In the 21st century in Greece all people should feel free to be who they truly are without fear and discrimination," Mitsotakis said, adding that "our society cannot accept having second-class citizens or civilians with fewer rights."

On his part, Sisilianos noted the discrimination against the LGBTQ+ people has repeatedly occupied the European Court and the Council of Europe's Committe against racism and bigotry, adding that "it is time to acquire a national strategy which will correspond to international standards."