Mitsotakis

Greece supports the European Commission's proposal for a reformed EU economic governance framework in principle, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Friday during a press conference after a European leaders' meeting in Brussels.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday expressed his confidence that Greece will regain investment grade rating this year.

"I am certain that we can achieve the investment grade goal by 2023 as long as people have faith [in New Democracy] and [the elections] result in a strong and stable government," Mitsotakis said in comments after the European Council meeting Friday.

Amid the fallout from the Ukraine conflict and recent financial turmoil, Greece arrived at Thursday's regular European Council meeting in Brussels hoping to have a discussion on the new framework for fiscal policy conduct at the level of heads of state.

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will meet with his Italian and Portuguese colleagues, Giorgia Meloni and Antonio Costa, Friday morning on the sidelines of the European Union summit to discuss a coordinated position on issues of economic governance.

State Athens New Agency reported that the tripartite meeting was scheduled on Mitsotakis' initiative.

Now is the right time for electricity market reform and for more long-term planning, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the European Council meeting on Thursday, according to government sources.

Amid reports of a rise in instances of mob-style violence on the island of Mykonos related to illegal construction and permits, the government has announced its intentions to beef up security and to increase urban planning inspections. 

"The European Council of March will have as its main issue the competitiveness of the European economy," Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Thursday upon his arrival at the Brussels summit.

The assurance by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis that the elections will be held in May, with the 21st and 28th being considered as the most likely days, has put the country's political system in overdrive until July 2, when the second round is expected. During this time there will be three or probably four periods with extremely dense developments.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias was welcomed to Belgrade by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Wednesday.

In his meeting with Vucic, Dendias "congratulated him on the recent agreement between Belgrade and Pristina reached in Ohrid," he later tweeted.

Train services in Greece resumed Wednesday for the first time since a deadly rail disaster three weeks ago, and just a day after the embattled conservative prime minister announced an early election for May.

The February 28 head-on collision, the deadliest in the country's history, killed 57 people and left dozens injured, with nine still hospitalized.