On Friday morning, Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis made his address during the general debate of the 74th UN General Assembly in New York City.
Mitsotakis said that a “new day has dawned in Greece,” a day which he added is “worn by the clear light of reason and buoyed by the winds of change and hope.”
He said that, “As we move to steer our country away from the storms that buffeted it for a decade, toward calm seas and bright horizons, we remain extremely mindful of our place in the volatile region where we live.”
Mitsotakis addressed the issue of climate change, which has continued to dominate media headlines following 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg’s fiery speech at the UN Climate Action Summit on Monday.
“Greece remains strongly committed to the implementation of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development and to the long-term vision of a climate neutral European Union by 2015,” he said. “To achieve these goals, the Greek government has made addressing climate change a core component of its agenda.”
The prime minister referred to Greece leveraging its “unique natural environment” and “unique cultural heritage” as a “comparative advantage” that can spark new, sustainable growth.
He said that his administration will adopt an “ambitious” national strategy for energy, environment and climate before the end of the year. The strategy includes banning single-use plastics in Greece by 2021, as well as closing the country’s lignite power plants by 2028.
During this week’s visit in New York City, Mitsotakis also featured on live television in an interview with Bloomberg TV in which he spoke about issues pertaining to the Greek economy.
Watch his full address
