Mitsotakis: I have absolute confidence in our ability to change Greece

"Hard work is waiting for all of us," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday during his speech at the first cabinet meeting of the new government.

"I have absolute confidence in our ability to change Greece," he underlined and added:

"We demanded a strong mandate, the citizens gave it to us generously. Now is the time to unite the Greeks under a vision of prosperity. The work has begun," said Mitsotakis.

"Within a few days we have launched actions that others needed months and months to carry out," he added.

"I have not hidden my ambition for the government to function as a well-oiled machine. The first person that will be constantly assessed by the citizens is me. The parliament will work through the summer. On the 17th we will be sworn in, on the 18th the parliament will vote for Konstantinos Tasoulas as its president. On July 20-22, policy statements will be made," the prime minister said.

"The time of division, of pointless polarisation ended on July 7. I want to congratulate you on the way you handled the handover ceremonies," Mitsotakis told ministers.

"We have clear priorities and a clear timetable. Today, you will each receive a dossier with the objectives of each ministry and the outstanding issues and commitments left by the previous government," the prime minister said.

"We know what we want, we know how to make it happen and we will achieve it," Mitsotakis said.

Mitsotakis made three remarks to the ministers:

Good intentions and words are not enough. People expect actions and works. We are working for 'us' and not for 'I'. We will reduce the secretariats and associates of government members by a third.

• There isn't a single day to lose. We are changing the way we plan and implement our policies. We do not stop at the voting of a law, we follow up on its implementation.
• We do not practice politics only with our works, but also through our behaviour. We are judged not only for what we say but also for what we transmit.
• "I have asked Labour Minister Yannis Vroutsis to meet all labour inspectors. There will be no deviation from the application of labour law," Mitsotakis said.

Addressing the first meeting of his new cabinet, the prime minister also spoke of "a strong Greece in a changing world," and said that he had spoken with a number of world leaders since Tuesday, including the president and vice-president of the United States.

"A few days ago the people placed their trust in us with courage and maturity. It is with the same courage and maturity that we are called on to govern. Our opponents are the difficulties. We love those who chose us to serve them. Let us prove that we are not just another government, but another kind of government. Good work and success to each man and woman," Mitsotakis stressed, ending his speech.