ATHENS — Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also discussed the Cyprus issue during his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, government spokesperson Aristotelia Peloni said on Tuesday. She said the prime minister reiterated that a two-state solution as proposed by Turkey and the Turkish-Cypriot side is rejected as a matter of principle since it is contrary to both UN Security Council resolution and European Union laws and regulations.

Mitsotakis also said that he is looking forward to close and frequent contact with Turkey at all levels, even the highest, in order for bridges of trust to be built in the interest of both countries, Peloni reported.

Obviously, she added, the differences between the two sides remain, nothwithstanding the positive attitude, while it remains to be seen whether this positive attitude will also lead to positive steps for the improvement of relations.

On the epidemiological situation in Greece, Peloni said that "it is already generally accepted that the epidemiological situation in Greece is improving. Last week the positivity index dropped to 1.18 pct and the rolling average for the number of infections dropped for the first time since the beginning of 2021 to under 1,000 cases per day."

She also noted a significant drop in the number of patients in hospitals or intubated in ICUs due to coronavirus, of which the overwhelming majority were people that had either not been vaccinated or had not completed their vaccination.

Peloni also said that over 6,938,000 vaccinations have been done so far, while 2,831,000 people have had both doses of the vaccine.

"On Wednesday the platform for vaccination appointments opens for those aged 18-24 and this step marks the conclusion of prioritisation for the adult population," she added.

On the new draft labour bill, which has prompted strong reactions from the opposition parties and labour unions, Peloni said that the debate on the bill began in the parliament plenum on Monday and "it is already obvious that the opposition parties and the labour unions' reaction are based on groundless and false claims." At the same time, she added, progressive reforms in the bill that meet long-standing demands and modern needs of working people were being concealed.

Concluding the briefing, Peloni announced that Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will address parliament during the debate on the draft labour bill on Wednesday, while at 18:00 he will meet with the Foreign Minister of Belgium, Sophie Wilmès.

On Thursday at 09:00 he will receive European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the Maximos Mansion and afterwards they will take part in an interactive event at the Ancient Αgora of Athens.