Following his emergency cabinet meeting on Tuesday to discuss urgent regional issues and the country’s future, Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced that the people of Greece can rejoice in the fact that the country is on the final stretch of exiting the memoranda.
The Greek PM commended his government for achieving the goal that brought his party to power but stressed the need for the government to not lose focus of the target and not become complacent in these “last few metres of the course”.
"Do not forget that this government was formed by parties with different ideological starting points but with a common central political objective: a safe and final exit from the memorandums and suffocating surveillance, the recovery of our economic sovereignty.
"No one in Europe is currently discussing the possibility of a precautionary credit line for Greece. What we are discussing with the institutions is the details of a clean exit, an exit that will not be accompanied by new commitments, from a new memorandum.
"The debate on a precautionary credit line that some have tried to keep alive is a discussion that is already over. Some people may be making desperate attempts, even now, to resurrect it for their own political purposes, but the reality proves them wrong." Tsipras proclaimed.
He noted that the government's target is to hold elections in autumn 2019, at the end of the government's four-year term.
Alexis Tsipras also addressed the pressing regional issues concerning FYROM and Turkey.
"The biggest national failure at this time would be to show ourselves unable to manage Turkish provocation and the heightened tension that we see from our neighbours with unity, sobriety and calmness," Tsipras said.
"Greece is a strong and secure country with strong international alliances and foundations. We are not threatening anyone, but we are not afraid of anyone, and we call on our neighbours to leave aside the escalating rhetoric that leads to an impasse," he added.
Tsipras urged Turkey to stop the attacks and act as quickly as possible, as a gesture of good will, to speed up the return of the two Greek soldiers being held in Turkey.
"Given that Turkey is in a state of tension, we have yet another reason to seek to close as many fronts as possible in our foreign policy, so that we do not waste diplomatic and political capital," Tsipras said. To this end, Greece should carry on in the same direction, trying to resolve issues on its northern borders with Albania and FYROM, " but without retreating from our national positions and with a sense of national responsibility."
"Greece, as a force of stability and democracy in the region, should play a leading role in this endeavor that ensures an environment of good neighbourliness, cooperation and mutual respect," he added.
"It would be desirable if, at least in foreign affairs, there was a climate of understanding and unity among the political forces," while noting that this did not appear to exist at present. "I'm sorry, but I do not see it. I wish to be proven wrong," he added.
