The Government Spokesman provided an extensive briefing on Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' trip to Washington, where he will participate in the NATO Summit.

"This year's Summit has a special symbolism because of the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Alliance. It will also be the first time that the Summit will be held with 32 Allies, following the completion of the enlargement of the Alliance and the accession of Finland and Sweden," he said, starting the briefing by highlighting during the briefing of the political editors the issues on the agenda of the Summit.

According to her, the issues to be discussed at the Summit are "strengthening the Alliance's defense capabilities and the greater contribution of European NATO member states and Canada to implement the provisions of the commitment on defense investments, reaffirming support for Ukraine, as well as NATO's cooperation with partners such as the European Union and IndoPacific 4—Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Korea."

The government spokesman also explained that as far as the commitment to defense spending reaching at least 2% of GDP is concerned, "our country is in the core of allied countries that exceed this figure", as he said, explaining that the Prime Minister, together with his Polish counterpart, has submitted a proposal for a European air defense shield to be financed with European funds and to strengthen the European pillar of NATO.

According to Mr. Marinakis, the Prime Minister is invited to the Council on Foreign Relations on Tuesday, July 9, at 12.15 pm (US time), where he will have a public debate with Daniel Speckhard, former United States Ambassador to Greece.

He will also have contacts with members of Congress, and on Tuesday afternoon he will participate in the 75th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the Alliance.

On Wednesday, at 11.30 (US time), shortly before the start of the Summit, he will hold a public debate at the NATO Public Forum with Nadia Sandlow, former US Deputy National Security Advisor.

Finally, on Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister will attend the dinner that the President and First Lady of the United States are hosting in honor of the leaders.

Following the conclusion of the NATO Summit in Washington, the Prime Minister will travel to New York, where he will meet with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Friday, 12 July, at 11.15 a.m.

There is no scheduled meeting between the Greek prime minister and his counterpart from North Macedonia, the government spokesman said when asked about it, without ruling out the possibility of a meeting on the sidelines. 

"But it is not excluded that he will have some bilateral meetings in the context of the summit's work on the sidelines of his presence there. But there is nothing planned," he said, responding the same way about his meeting with Tayyip Erdogan. 

Beyond that, Mr. Marinakis confirmed reports and information that he will raise the issue of North Macedonia's stance and their defiant violation of the Prespa Agreement at the highest level.