ATHENS — The smooth operation of the parliament is the most effective way to protect democracy, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said during his opening speech in parliament on Friday at the Hour of the Prime Minister in reply to Movement for Change (KINAL) leader Fofi Gennimata's question on the issue "Government's policy leads the economy and the labour to new impasses."

"Today is a good day for growth in Greece as 19 years after the closing of the international airport at Helliniko, the works for the new investment that will create 80,000 job positions kicked off. We managed to resolve all the pending issues and today this investment begins," he said referring to Helliniko project.

On the economic problem as a result of the coronavirus and the repercussions on the global economy, Mitsotakis said: "We are trying to make this extrinsic recession as mild as possible inside the crisis and to lay the foundations for fast growth, when the vaccine for COVID-19 is found."

Mitsotakis said that any predictions on recession in 2020 is only a theoritical exercise, adding that the only thing he could say is based on current data. "The recession in Q1 2020 was significantly lower that in the other eurozone countries. Ιn the period March-April 2020 it was less that the European average. The Greek economy did well in comparison with the rest of Europe," added the prime minister.