Giorgos Mylonakis, Greece's deputy minister to the prime minister, made his first appearance at a political event since undergoing treatment for a serious health problem, appearing alongside Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Thessaloniki.
The appearance came after four months during which Mylonakis fought the illness, marking what was described as a gradual return to public life.
He was expected to attend Mitsotakis's central speech on Saturday, September 5, held as part of the Thessaloniki International Fair.
Mitsotakis has led Greece's centre-right New Democracy party and served as prime minister since 2019. The Thessaloniki International Fair, known in Greece as the DEΘ, is an annual trade exhibition that has for decades doubled as the occasion when the Greek prime minister sets out the government's policy priorities for the year ahead, making the prime minister's closing speech one of the most closely watched moments in the Greek political calendar.
First public appearance since illness
Mylonakis made his first public political appearance at a meeting Mitsotakis held with journalists in Thessaloniki. The deputy minister to the prime minister is a government post that operates directly under the prime minister's office within Mitsotakis's administration.
Message posted on social media
A short time later, Mylonakis published photographs of himself with Mitsotakis on social media, using the post to announce his return and to declare that he was standing once again beside the prime minister.
Mylonakis said that after a difficult ordeal, he found himself once again beside Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the people with whom he had shared a common path of responsibility and service for years. He said he was continuing with greater strength and even greater faith in their shared effort. He added that Greece faced significant challenges ahead, and that he intended to keep working with a plan, consistency and determination, always close to the citizens. He said he was present, with all his strength.
