Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Monday “future threats may not come only from the East but also from the South” and that’s something the common European defense and the anti-missile shield must take into consideration.

Speaking at the press conference of the MED9 summit in Portoroz, Slovenia, Mitsotakis said on the European Defense that the EU’s main priority remains the war in Ukraine.

“I think we all advocate a 360-degree perspective on European defense. And when we think about new projects of common interest that we believe we can promote as the European Union-for example, the anti-missile shield-we must recognize that future threats may not come only from the east but also from the south,” he said, stressing the need for unity to secure not only European borders but also a European defense capacity that protects all member states, especially those on the EU’s external borders.

Regarding the creation of a common energy market, the Greek PM stressed that “there is a general understanding that we need to move faster in building a common European energy market, especially in Southeastern Europe, where we are still facing high prices-higher than in other member states.” “A greater integration of the energy market, through significant investments, interconnections and networks, should be a top priority in relation to our common energy strategy,” he said.

The Greek premier described as interesting the discussions held on decarbonisation, ahead of the European Council meeting to be held in a few days. He also stressed that “ there is a general understanding among the nine that we need to strike a balance between the carbon targets already set and an equal emphasis on social cohesion and competitiveness. This requires more flexibility in achieving the ambitious goals we have set as a European Union,” he added.