Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis traveled to Kastellorizo on Sunday to mark the 83rd anniversary of the island's...

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis traveled to Kastellorizo on Sunday to mark the 83rd anniversary of the island's liberation, announcing a package of financial incentives to boost the island's permanent population while delivering a pointed message to Turkey. The centerpiece of the announcement is a 5,000-euro annual tax-free grant for every household that lives or relocates permanently to Kastellorizo. The payment increases by 1,000 euros for each minor child in the household. Current residents will receive the first payment in early 2027, while new arrivals settling on the island from now on will start collecting from 2028 onward. Military and security personnel, public servants, and armed forces members stationed on Kastellorizo will also receive a separate 5,000-euro annual salary incentive. The full eligibility criteria will be published by the Ministry of National Economy. HELLENiQ ENERGY also committed to fully renovating old properties on the island to provide free housing for doctors, teachers, coast guard officers, and other public servants posted there. On the infrastructure side, Mitsotakis announced a second weekly Blue Star ferry connection from Piraeus via Rhodes to Kastellorizo starting early next year, running every Wednesday. Planned works include restoration of the central harbor, new desalination units, a sewage network, and a water supply grid. Standing on what he called the easternmost point where Greece's borders meet Europe's borders, Mitsotakis addressed Turkey directly. He said Greece seeks friendly relations based on international law and the Law of the Sea, but warned that Greece's restraint should not be mistaken for weakness. He described Kastellorizo as a place with its doors shut to all revisionist ambitions, but its path open to mutual respect and international legitimacy. He closed by calling the island's residents the guardians of the Thermopylae of the Aegean. #Greece #Kastellorizo #Greece Turkey