Rama's blunder during the Abu Dhabi Summit apparently did not go down well with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. In a television interview this morning, Mitsotakis described Rama as a politician who often gets away with saying things he shouldn't.
"I have known Mr. Rama for many years. He has a special way of expressing himself and often gets away with things he shouldn't have said. This time he said a harsh word and he realized his mistake. I am taking into account the correction he made; it was an inappropriate statement and it is better to leave it behind," said Mitsotakis.
The Greek Prime Minister's statements come after strong criticism that Rama received from the Greek media, following his joke towards Greek-American journalist John Defterios, where he told him that "Greeks think they are descendants of Plato and Aristotle, but they are not."
A day earlier, Rama himself corrected what he had said, clarifying that his tone had not been tendentious at all, but only friendly humor. He expressed surprise at the way a sentence said in friendly humor was taken out of context and how an informal discussion turned into a public debate with “nationalist pathos,” a phenomenon that, according to the prime minister, often occurs in media Athens.
The head of government also stressed that there is no doubt about the role of Ancient Greece and its figures in the history of European civilization, adding that Plato and Aristotle are Greek philosophers and Greek culture deserves only admiration and respect.
