Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis repeated that the government has nothing to hide with respect to the 2023 rail disaster at Tempi, while speaking to SKAI radio on Wednesday, while accusing some parts of the opposition and "so-called experts" of attempting to conceal the facts.
He also criticised the vice chairman of the aviation and rail accident investigation agency HARSIA, Christos Papadimitriou, claiming inconsistencies and a lack of coherency in his statements, while pointing out that HARSIA's report - barring the small section on the fireball - was otherwise serious and made useful recommendations.
"Regardless of what has happened, especially in the last year regarding this issue in our country, the truth, no matter how long it takes, will be revealed and everything will  be made clear," he added. According to Hatzidakis meanwhile, the effort being made by the opposition and "some posing as experts" to conceal the truth was starting to be understood by "a substantial segment of public opinion".
Hatzidakis announced that the government will soon be tabling legislation that adopts many of the proposals for making Greece's railways safer and more modern, while expressing the opinion that the cause of the accident will finally be attributed to the actions of the station master on that fateful night and the general state of the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE). This did not mean that the government did not have a share of responsibility for the state of OSE, he clarified, while pointing out that there were currently 43 lawsuits underway relating to this.
Hatzidakis also commented on the global trade war that is underway after the imposition of high U.S. tariffs, noting that Greece was less exposed than other European countries to a drop in exports to the U.S. but might suffer if the rest of Europe entered a recession, leading to a drop in exports and fewer tourists.
Stressing that "in trade wars there are only losers," he said that he had received letters from both companies that export to the U.S. but also those that import raw materials from that country. "Whatever happens, it is certain that we are entering a new and unpleasant phase for everyone...very serious and responsible handling is necessary," he added.
According to Hatzidakis, the impact would be much worse if Greece's economy had not undergone a substantial recovery in recent years, with primary budget surpluses and its banks in a much better state.
He concluded by referring to Wednesday's general strike, where he noted that in the last five years, the income of Greeks had jumped from 60% of the EU per capita average to 70% of the EU per capita average, through a combination of fiscal prudence and a pro-investment approach.