Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the remote Megisti island group on Saturday 12 September 2026, travelling to Kastellorizo, Ro and Strongyli.
A meeting at Megisti Town Hall examined infrastructure, improvements to services, accommodation for public employees and incentives to attract more permanent residents. The prime minister pledged that the major outstanding issues affecting the island for decades should be resolved over the next four years.
A €27 million programme of 37 projects
The government plan for Kastellorizo comprises 37 projects with a total budget of €27 million.
They cover six principal areas, the energy transition, sustainable resource management, environmental protection, entrepreneurship and innovation, digital transformation, and strengthening human resources.
Major projects include rebuilding Kastellorizo harbour's quays, with funding secured through Greece's EU-funded development framework, replacing critical sections of the water network, installing remote monitoring and control systems, and improving sewerage and wastewater treatment.
The plan also provides for waste management based on zero-waste principles and photovoltaic installations to support the island's electricity generation.
Housing for doctors, teachers and other staff
Particular emphasis was placed on housing for people serving, or due to serve, on Kastellorizo.
The Ministry of National Defence is building 12 homes, some of which will be allocated to healthcare staff and teachers. The Coast Guard is also advancing construction of nine homes for its personnel.
The defence ministry is repairing a further four properties, with funding from the Greek Parliament, so that doctors can be accommodated as early as next summer.
A 1.9-hectare site containing 30 older homes declared unfit for habitation is also being transferred to the Municipality of Megisti for new housing. Funding will come from the Interior Ministry, with project preparation undertaken through Greece's Growthfund.
Strengthening the island's health clinic
Before the meeting, Mitsotakis visited Megisti's Multipurpose Regional Medical Centre and was briefed on its operation and needs.
According to the official briefing, recruitment procedures are being completed for two female consultants at director level, one in general or family medicine and one in internal medicine. This provision will complement regular visits by a cardiologist and paediatrician from Rhodes Health Centre.
Two nursing posts are also expected to be advertised.
Visits to Ro and Strongyli
The prime minister visited observation posts on Ro and Strongyli, speaking to armed forces personnel and conscripts.
On Ro, he was briefed on the new quay and shown the post's new facilities, including the main building, dining room, kitchens and armed forces guest accommodation.
He then laid a wreath at the monument to the Lady of Ro and visited her house, which operates as a museum.
Mitsotakis also visited the Hellenic Navy's guided-missile fast patrol boat Ypoploiarchos Grigoropoulos, which was berthed at Kastellorizo.
Those accompanying him included Speaker of Parliament Nikitas Kaklamanis, Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff General Dimitrios Choupis, South Aegean Regional Governor Giorgos Hatzimarkos, and Dodecanese MPs Emmanouil Konsolas and Vasilis Ypsilantis.
