Greek PM Tsipras Attacks Main Opposition: Will You Support the National Negotiation?

The Greek Parliament was briefed minutes ago by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras regarding the country’s negotiation with its creditors and the developments with the proposed reforms list. The discussion started at around 8.00 p.m. at the plenary of the Parliament on a political leader’s level at an initiative of PM Tsipras. He asked party leaders to express their opinion regarding the government legislative initiatives against the humanitarian crisis and the debt settlement to 100 installments. Moreover, the Greek Prime Minister made an overall review of the government’s work.

Tsipras highlighted that “from the first day the government took office, we stated that the country will change a page. The country has stopped being a Memorandum colony. Our obligation is to let people know everything that takes place in the painstaking negotiations. There is a collective negotiation strategy. The people ask us not to take a single step back. We are determined to serve the popular mandate and proceed in a sincere negotiation. The vast majority of people supports the negotiation of the new government policy.”

Furthermore, he called on opposition parties that ruled in the past five years to explain whether the reforms they carried out were beneficial to the Greek people and personally asked former Prime Minister and New Democracy leader Antonis Samaras why he forgot the Memorandum obligations to institute licensing of radio and television stations, as well as tackle tax evasion. “The new Greek government is negotiating and fighting to end the bleeding of the majority of the Greek people,” he said, adding that the reforms list currently discussed with the country’s partners will change the country.

The Greek Prime Minister stressed that “instead of Hardouvelis’ e-mail, the government will implement a recovery program for the economy and redistribute weight and income.” “Will you support this negotiation policy to put an end to austerity? Or will you operate as mouthpieces of the Memorandum initiators,” he asked, addressing opposition parties. “You have to decide if we signed Memoranda or if we lead the country to the rocks. Both of them cannot be happening. The contradictions in your opposition reasoning is indicative of your confusion strategy. You ruled for five years via Troika e-mails,” he added.

Finally, he referred to the “unprecedented state of credit asphyxiation the country is experiencing,” characterizing Greece as the only country that is not refinancing its loans but repays them from its budget.

We are seeking an honest compromise with our partners

Regarding the government’s stance in the negotiations, the Greek Premier underlined that “we seek an honest compromise with our partners. But do not expect us to sign a truce with no terms. This is the reason we are under merciless attack, but this is also the reason that society supports us. Opposition parties must respond tonight whether they will support the government’s negotiation policy to end the austerity that destroyed the economy and Greek society or be mouthpieces of those who created the loan Memorandum.”