The Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (g), and the German Minister of Foreign Affairs in Berlin, March 24, 2015 (Pool / AFP / File / Michael Gottschalk)
The Greek prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, has expressed confidence Sunday “a happy ending” crucial negotiations underway with the country’s creditors, the EU and the IMF on the reforms that his government must achieve to benefit from international loans.
“It it has powers (in Europe) that represent specific interests and wish to break but there also has powers – which will prevail – for a sincere and honest compromise, “said the Prime Minister of the radical left Syriza, in an interview published by the weekly Greek Realnews Sunday.
“I’m optimistic about a happy ending soon this first phase of negotiations and the normalization of the situation,” said Alexis Tsipras, the power for two months, which advocates the end of austerity, an argument that irritates some of its European partners.
Saturday, experts from Greece, EU, ECB, IMF and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) began to sift in Brussels the list of reforms, according to Athens, should report to the Greek state three billion euros, and bring a growth rate of 1.4% Greece in 2015.
“These discussions marathon” and “difficult” according to the Greek press, will continue Sunday.
“There are still a lot of work to do” to reach an agreement, said Saturday the ANA news agency.
According to the television channel Mega, creditors insist “on tougher measures” while the government of Syriza, “is committed to the Greek people not to take recessive measures.”
“I can not believe that democratic Europe will choose the path” of rupture, notes Alexis Tsipras.
“We want a break with corruption and a solution with Europe, “he said.
” The issue of Greece is primarily a European issue which concerns the unity of the euro area and that can not be managed only by economists and technocrats but by leaders of European countries, “he added.
The list of reforms proposed by Athens includes increased taxation of high incomes, measures against tax evasion and against trafficking in fuel and cigarette, privatization with the public sector.
Deputy Prime Minister of Greece, Ioannis Dragasakis, who visited in recent days with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Kotzias in Beijing for talks with Chinese leaders, said he has “real and limitless possibilities of economic cooperation” with China.
After the concession in 2008 of two terminals of the great Greek port of Piraeus to the Chinese company Cosco, it is currently one of the candidates for the purchase of 67% of the units in the Greek state has the company from Piraeus Port (OLP).
Athens must absolutely conclude an agreement next week with its creditors to get some of the last tranche of loans amounting to 7.2 billion euros, otherwise it may not be able to repay its debts.
So far, Athens has benefited from two successive loans from the EU and IMF since the beginning of the crisis in 2010, EUR 240 billion in exchange for draconian austerity plan.
Alexis Tsipras, the conclusion of the agreement on the reforms would be a first step toward “a new agreement on growth by June, which will also include the reduction of debt, the change in the terms of repayment. “
The reduction of the Greek debt to 176% in 2014, is among the priorities of the economic program of Syriza .
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