Gov’t minister apologizes for ‘unfortunate’ comments

In a prerecorded message, Petsas, who was government spokesperson from 2019 to 2021, described the remarks as “unfortunate.”

A government minister apologized on Wednesday for remarks he made about people who cannot to switch from natural gas to heat their homes.

In comments made to a TV panel discussion on home heating and the energy crisis on Tuesday, Alternate Interior Minister Stelios Petsas said that “whoever doesn’t adjust, dies.”

The remarks triggered an outcry on social media.

In a prerecorded message, Petsas, who was government spokesperson from 2019 to 2021, described the remarks as “unfortunate.”

“I apologize as some people felt insulted. It was an unfortunate statement,” he said.

He also apologized to his government colleagues as the remarks had distracted attention away from the “successful presence” of the prime minister at Thessaloniki International Fair.

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