PM Mitsotakis meets German Chancellor Scholz; focus on economy, migration and the Middle East

Economy, migration, energy, but also regional and international developments, due to the new crisis in the Middle East, will be on the "agenda" of the meeting between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, in Berlin on Tuesday. The Greek prime minister is visiting Berlin on Monday for a dinner of European leaders to discuss the EU's Strategic Agenda.

According to government sources, the prime minister's visit to the German capital is taking place at a time when the Greek economy has passed into another phase after the recovery of an investment grade rating while it has also recorded the largest debt reduction in the world in 2022 in terms of debt-to-GDP ratio and is now on track to reduce debt below 2012 levels by the end of the year, outperforming developed eurozone economies.

Another issue expected to be discussed is energy, as Greece is a hub for energy transmission in the South-North Corridor, Europe's bridge with the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean up to Ukraine and seeks to be an energy security provider in the wider region.

Migration will also be on the agenda of the discussions, an issue that Greece has from the beginning insisted is European and needs a comprehensive European response, with the main priority being the need to protect the borders, a principle that is now a European acquis.

Mitsotakis and Scholz are also expected to exchange views on regional and international developments, with an emphasis on the situation in the Middle East and the Eastern Mediterranean, the Western Balkans, the latest developments in Ukraine, as well as all issues of European interest in view of the European Council of December.