Obama calls for hope and growth for Greece

In a recent interview with Greek media ahead of his visit to Athens on Tuesday, US President Barack Obama spoke of need to cultivate an environment of hope for the people of Greece and one that would be conducive to economic growth and prosperity, with emphasis of “meaningful debt relief.”

President Obama further praised bilateral ties and Greece's contribution to the NATO alliance despite its “economic hardships,” and its close cooperation on counterterrorism. He also noted Greece’s contribution to the refugee crisis and commended the people of Greece for their inspiring humanity and generosity of spirit to the thousands of refugees and illegal immigrants.

‘’ Greece is a democracy, and the future of Greece will be decided by the Greek people. I have strongly supported efforts to keep Greece in the eurozone because I share the view of the vast majority of Greeks that this outcome is in Greece’s best interest. I believe that European integration is one of the greatest political and economic achievements of modern times, with benefits for EU members, the United States and the entire world. Europe is our largest economic partner and we have a profound economic interest in a Europe that is stable and growing.

‘’Without question, Greece had to take steps to reform its economy, and I want to commend the Greek government, including Prime Minister Tsipras, and the Greek people for the very difficult and painful steps they’ve taken to show that Greece is working to help itself. The Greek budget is now in surplus and Parliament has passed tough reforms that will help make the Greek economy more competitive.

‘’But there’s still clearly more to be done. My visit will therefore be an opportunity to reaffirm US support for reforms that improve the business climate, ensure that the imbalances that caused the crisis don’t re-emerge, and lay the foundation for a stronger economic recovery that helps improve the daily lives of the Greek people.

‘’I am a strong believer that to make reforms sustainable, people need hope. The International Monetary Fund has said that debt relief is crucial to put Greece’s economy on a sustainable path and set the stage for a return to prosperity. This is why I will continue to urge Greece's creditors to take the steps needed to ensure the country is well placed to return to robust economic growth, including by providing meaningful debt relief. Getting that done would not only fuel the Greek economic recovery, it would also show that Europe can make its economy work for everyone,’’ said Obama.