>> greece went through a lot. francine: the greek prime

minister, many have credited for the transfer of the economy. one of top economic performers. kyriakos mitsotakis there is a series of plans set out. he tells me how he want to increase lower in quality against populist. >> yes, there is future populism and even if you run, and make make it possible to get reelected. francine: he also speaks about same-sex marriage and the need to protect this countries natural scenery. >> if we have to place restrictions, we will. francine: my conversation with kyriakos mitsotakis next on

"leaders list the coif. -- leaders with laqua." what will unfold in the coming years? >> we -- in difficult times. i want to use a strong mandate to drive forward a strong agenda. this makes up for the lost ground. a high growth rate for me is the priority. this will drive through important changes with the things i deeply care about. francine: you are sure you will get investment grade, does that mean in terms of possible

investment? kyriakos: there is a lot of capital that cannot invest increase because they are not investment grade. we are already trading as if we are investment-grade. we also need the stabbing of approval across different agencies. we need a high interest environment. the economy will grow significantly. this is also giving the fiscal space to reduce debt. we will be able before the end of the year to actually repay ahead of time. this is for the next for years. this will also send a positive signal to the markets that not only are we focused on growth but the debt to gdp ratio will climb at a very rapid pace. francine: it is a promise to investors? kyriakos: it is.

we will accelerate the forms. -- the reforms. whatever we implement will be in a way to not compromise the fiscal position. greece went through a lot. it was a difficult period. we can reasonably reduce taxes and in time get healthy public finances. i do expect gdp to continue to define significantly. also, to give us the fiscal space to make sure that markets that we are serious and paid ahead of time. francine: what about the cost of living crisis? kyriakos: it is serious for us. it has hit the poorest segments of society disproportionally hard period two points,. we were successful in using

target measures to help those in greater need. now, i am happy to see the social studies are coming out now. it does not lead to a reduction. we will continue these targeted measures, especially with food prices. it will help the supermarket build. it will drain my public finances. it will probably not be an effective. francine: when do expect inflation? when do specs food inflation to come down -- when do expect food inflation to come down? kyriakos: we do know it is a crystal ball coming down faster

than other european countries. there are an area of concern and there is a lot of policy driven by it. it is good news. we seem to find a trend. it will grow more than 2%. given the circumstances, i would say that is pre-good. francine: i would say it is also in parliament but there is a three far right parties. what can you tell us about them? are they pro-russia? kyriakos: essentially, we have a 23% gap. we suffered a strategic defeat. there is competence, reason yes, there is a future -- and if you

run a company government, you can make it possible to get reelected. i think this is a good message for everyone fighting against populist if they come from the left or the right. there is a 2%-2% threshold. we have no idea what they stand for. we can make parliament louder. it can be more interesting. the extreme right is not organized in the way it is in other countries. we do not need the extreme right to govern, we can govern our own. this was always a strategic choice. we want to make sure we attract enough people to make sure we have the majority and are able to do that.

francine: yeah. kyriakos: some are pro-, not explicitly. francine: young think it is a warning to come for other european countries -- you don't think it is a warning to come for other european countries? kyriakos: some people feel marginalized, threatened, may be the world is moving at a faster pace and they are being left behind. maybe there is a process of a weaker side maturing and in terms of development, leapfrogging. in other european countries. this is a lot in greek society. there is a predictability to

investors. there is a big transformation, you might need to terms. it could be four years until the next national election. i am sure, that they like what they see. francine: i am sure -- up next, tourism counts for a fifth of the economy. the prime minister at -- is at pains to make sure he does not treat nature to short-term profit. kyriakos: there is an interest of a very rapid growth. ♪ the biggest ideas inspire new ones.

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francine: the relationship between the united states and china is complex. there is news from washington

that it wants to risk itself from the world's second-largest economy. i should with the prime minister kyriakos mitsotakis. prime minister, what kind of relationship do want with --? kyriakos: there are also a competitor, also a rival. they have been advocating for a comprehensive european approach. we do not want to decouple. we want to de-risk. we need a more intelligent approach. that is also with china. that is for us. china is an important market.

in terms of bringing the chinese and. it is much less in terms of social capital. when you look at capital and the past two years, no capital came in. francine: when you see it is impossible to decouple, is because codependency is too big. kyriakos: i'm not so much talking about the greek economy, i'm talking about -- the globalized economy is a reality, but there is a limit to how much we can actually do that. francine: when you look at tourism, it is booming. some places are overcrowded. kyriakos: i want to be sure that in five years from now we will not have sacrificed the beauty

-- that is why i would always push for quality over quantity. there are regional and planning legislations across the country that will do exactly who want to build. there are parts of greece -- if we need to place restrictions, i think we will. francine: does that look exactly -- kyriakos: there is only so much we can build. that is not something that is not currently in the cards. to make sure the island is still functioning but also for

tourists. so they can have a positive experience. if something is overcrowded, people do not appreciate it. we are beginning to do it and planet to make sure there are cruise ships. we can imagine a smarter way to make sure the island is no overflow with visitors. francine: how much time do spend tackling tax evasion? kyriakos: a lot. this is an important issue. we made good progress in terms of -- making electronic transactions more attractive.

-- francine: are you frustrated it was not as fast as you thought it was? kyriakos: -- this prime minister mitsotakis: this is something related to trust. they fill that will help them be more inclined to pay taxes. there is an economy that has a tradition of tax evasion they can actually bring more. not true always for all countries, but in our cases, very much true. there is a strategy of lowering taxes, it has actually brought

in more revenues. francine: why pushing for lbgtq rights are one of the priorities. prime minister mitsotakis: we still had horrible conversion therapies before we came into power. really, we battled that. we will continue to inflammation strategies. ♪

francine: in june, hundreds died or were lost that sees of fishing vessels, asylum-seekers capsized across -- across the coast of greece. i spoke to the prime minister about the tragedy. prime minister, coast guard's have not been portrayed in a positive light recently because of the micro both that sank. were you taking action to make sure that does not happen? prime minister mitsotakis: we have been implementing a strategy, our number one priority is for people not to drown at put also to protect the borders. the less likelihood -- in international waters.

we have been able to make this strategy work. we have broken smugglers. it is very unfair. they do not talk about the smugglers that put these people on the boat that was not seaworthy. every time, there was always an investigation. i cannot comment on it. the coast guard has saved tens of thousands of people. at the end of the day, or we do not want is an old strategy. we have to be vigilant protect our voices but we have to have new pathways. for humanitarian reasons,

refugees or migrants. one of our goals increase is to expand labor market participation, and when i look at certain jobs, there are difficult ease. -- there are difficulties finding people to do these jobs. there already people in place to put together these types of programs. there are programs or people to legally work here. they do not need to embark on the dangers trip. they cannot leave this policy. francine: with the european union, should they be helping you more and deal with the situation? prime minister mitsotakis: it is placing more emphasis on the external aspect of migration.

they have also funded a lot of camps. we will see other facilities, from five years ago. which was supposedly progressive and they cared. there has been support by the european union. also, finance barriers and other measures to help us protect others. front text is not a geo. it is important of protection, unit, heavily funded by the european union. we are always working with front text and whatever issues arrive,

we always pick up and try to resolve. francine: there has been a gradual change. prime minister mitsotakis: we have been talking about the internal dimension. who should be responsible? these are difficult topics. unless our are a number of people who should address this, this is not sufficient, we need to offer pathways and be much more effective when it comes to terms. francine: what about lgbtq rights? prime minister mitsotakis: we will have that strategy. we are try to in programs. we are happy so far with some of our initiatives.

homosexual people could not even give blood. there were still horrible conversion therapies which were technically illegal for a teenagers -- for gay teenagers. it is a long-term project. it is interesting that all these initiatives -- may be politically belong to the left. maybe the government is a little too aggressive. francine: what about equality in same-sex marriage? prime minister mitsotakis: it is a part of strategy, it is a work in progress. at some point, the strategy will

come to its head. francine: how would you describe yourself as a leader? what drives you? prime minister mitsotakis: i don't like to talk about myself ,, by like to look after greece and about 8 years and see the changes. if you look at the 200 years of history, there are really big changes happening. i hope there is my own contribution so we can break out of this spell they really dragged us, essentially, to the bottom, towards the second decade of the 21st century. we lost about 5% of our gdp.

-- we lost 25% of our gdp. what i like to do is show the talents they can go and prosper abroad. prime minister mitsotakis: people need to catch up in areas where we are still laggards. there are still three big challenges. the digital challenge, the opportunities and threats of ai. a big challenge is inequality. at the end of the day, i will be happy if i less -- if i see less inequality. there is always a risk in

rapidly -- rapidly growing inequalities. at the end of the day, giving opportunities to those that are less privileged. this is what excites me and makes me work harder. francine: do think that is why people voted for you? prime minister mitsotakis: in 2019 i think people were fed up with the previous government. it is unusual to see this level of support in a western democracy. i think they place their trust in us and we have to reciprocate. a big victory, because for celebration.

i think there is the weight of expectations on shoulders. i think there is a mandate up a big change. francine: thank you so much for your time today, prime minister. prime minister mitsotakis: thank you, so much. ♪ i don't want you to move. i'm gonna miss you so much. you realize we'll have internet waiting for us at the new place, right? oh, we know. we just like making a scene. transferring your services has never been easier. get connected on the day of your move with the xfinity app. can i sleep over at your new place? can katie sleep over tonight? sure, honey! this generation is so dramatic! move with the xfinity 10g network.

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