Parliament: Clash between Kairidis and Davaki over Dendias
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Heated exchanges between the chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee and the Deputy Minister of National Defence over the minister’s absence from the session on the bill concerning officers’ rank classifications and conscription deferments.
- 19 Δεκεμβρίου 2025 15:17
With clashes “starting in the locker room” — and indeed within the government itself — the process of hearing stakeholders on the Ministry of National Defence bill began today (19/12) at Parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee, as committee chair Dimitris Kairidis came into a sharp confrontation with Deputy Minister of National Defence Athanasios Davakis over the absence of Nikos Dendias.
The clash between the two New Democracy officials began even before the discussion in the committee got underway, when Dimitris Kairidis realized that the government would be represented by the Deputy Minister of National Defence rather than the minister himself.
In a heated tone, the committee chair addressed the deputy minister, saying: “We are talking about a bill with 301 articles. It is unacceptable that he did not come. Where is Dendias? This is an insult to the Committee and to Parliament.”
This intervention prompted an equally intense reaction from Athanasios Davakis, who replied: “Why are you reacting like this? You are unacceptable! This has happened many times before — I am a deputy minister and I am here. I don’t understand this tone.”
The situation de-escalated shortly afterward, when Dimitris Kairidis lowered the temperature, expressing his understanding that the Minister of National Defence has a heavy schedule and his confidence that he will attend at a later stage of the bill’s consideration.
It should be recalled that the subject of the bill is the “Transition of the Armed Forces into the New Era.” Among other things, it includes provisions on conscription deferments that have sparked social reactions, as the duration of deferments for studies is being reduced.
It also contains provisions concerning the rank progression and salary issues of Armed Forces officers, which appear to reflect internal disagreements within New Democracy. In any case, the incident raises broader political questions, especially given that Dimitris Kairidis is considered to be part of the inner circle of the Maximos Mansion.
