In this week’s episode of ‘The Chiefs’, Monocle’s Tyler Brûlé and Andrew Tuck take a trip to Athens to visit Greek prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at Mansion Maximos. They discuss Greece’s newfound sense of national confidence, the strategic importance of the eastern Mediterranean and why Greece is back on the map for citizens, visitors and investors alike. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
As 2021 stretches out ahead, the unique set of challenges posed for governments and their institutions by the past year remain.
But when the current tides of COVID 19 eventually subside, which nations will come out on top?
Whose leaders are looking beyond the current crisis to build a progressive and business smart future for citizens, investors and visitors alike?
In our view, there is one European nation leading by example.
The very birthplace of democracy, Greece.
Due to austerity in populist politics, the country has not always been able to make the most of its assets beyond its burgeoning tourism sector.
That's now changing.
And leading the charge on the nation's rebrand is Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
As the last year drew to a close, Monocle's editor in chief Andrew Tuck and I boarded a plane to Athens for a rather special sit down with Mr.
Mitsotakis at the Maximus Mansion.
From rediscovering the strategic importance of the Eastern Mediterranean to a new sense of national confidence, we get to the heart of why Greece is back on the map.
I'm Tyler Brulee and along with Monocle's editor in chief, Andrew Tuck, this is the Chiefs on Monocle 24.
Prime Minister first, thank you very much for inviting us to the mansion at this very interesting time that we're in.
I wanted to maybe start by looking back at the time that you came into office, and I don't want to make it a question about what you inherited, but maybe bring us up to speed as to the type of republic you became, of course, the keeper of roughly a year and a half ago.
Well, we came into power in July 2019 in circumstances which are very different from the current context.
Essentially, what happened in Greece during those elections was a resounding defeat feet of the particular brand of populism that flourished in Greece between 2015 and 2019.
Those were the years when the country was essentially run by a government where the majority was held by a leftist radical party elected on a populist platform that had actually teamed up with a small fringe party of the extreme right.
And those were, I think, difficult days for Greece.
They were difficult days on the economic front.
We almost went, as you probably remember, we almost went bankrupt in July 2015, where our banks closed and the government at the time was forced to sign, you know, a third unnecessary program.