Addressing the Concordia Europe Summit in Athens, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras said that Greece was given the wrong medicine referring to the memoranda the country signed — including his government — in exchange for bailout loans. The Greek premier noted that now there is the momentum for Greece to come back to European normalcy.
It is time to start the discussions on Greece’s transition to a period of growth, Tsipras said, noting that the country is suffering the consequences of wrong choices of either previous policies or of Greece’s creditors who suggested the wrong recipe for overcoming the crisis.
Commenting on the ongoing negotiations on Greece’s program and debt, he said that “a decision on June 15 that will resolve definitively the Greek issue is more necessary but also more feasible than ever.”
“In the coming days, we have the opportunity to take these decisions. We will bring specific solutions to the Eurogroup. There’s a way out, as long as it is not blocked by political expediencies,” he added and reiterated his position that it is the creditors’ turn “to do what they can and what they ought to do.”
Tsipras also noted that this is an opportunity for the government, institutions, society and the sector of healthy entrepreneurship to join forces to create new wealth and new jobs for the country. “Our partners will do whatever is necessary to place growth in the agenda of priorities,” he said.
Regarding the Cyprus issue, the prime minister asked for the withdrawal of Turkish troops, adding that Greece maintains a bilateral dialog with the neighboring country and supports like no other European country the EU-Turkish cooperation. He also said Greece supports Turkey’s EU accession talks and insisted on bringing about the difficult but necessary EU-Turkey deal on migration.
Watch the full speech below:
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