[Intime News]
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Sunday Greece will recognize a Palestinian state when the time is right, and defended the country’s close relations with Israel amid its ongoing military operation in Gaza.
“Greece will recognize the state of Palestine. The question is when, how and the timing that we will choose as the right one, so as to provide an additional push for what I believe should be the final aim of this effort, which is a two-state solution,” he said during a press conference at the 89th Thessaloniki International Fair (TIF), where he elaborated on the government’s future political and economic agenda.
Mitsotakis defended Athens’ close relations with Jerusalem, saying the country’s strategic relationship with Israel hasn’t stopped the Conservative government from voicing its concern about the human suffering caused in the Gaza Strip.
“It hasn’t stopped us from harshly criticizing Israel about the way it is conducting its operation in Gaza, the unimaginable human pain and loss of human life that the war has caused,” he said, adding that Greece has called for an immediate ceasefire, both on a bilateral level and through the US Security Council, where Athens participates as a non-permanent member.
He said a ceasefire should secure the release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas and end the human suffering.