JOURNALIST: How is the French President’s visit in mid-February being presented? What can we expect?
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: President Hollande’s visit is highly symbolic. The Greek people have been through and are still going through a major ordeal. Since 2010, the recession has reached a level never seen before, with the standard of living deteriorating to an unprecedented degree by western European standards.
Moreover, the sense of national dignity has been hit hard by the inaccurate statements of certain European figures. In this context, the French President’s visit is a strong gesture of understanding, solidarity and support for the Greek people. It reaffirms the ties of friendship between the two peoples, which are a fundamental component of our European family. This visit encourages the pro-European forces in Greece who are struggling against the fierce opposition of certain interest groups that represent the dysfunctions of the past and propose entrenchment and isolation of the country from the European process.
JOURNALIST: The debt continues to increase. When will we be able to say that the Greek bailout has succeeded?
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: Allow me to question your phrasing. Of course, the fall in GDP caused by the recession has created the impression that the debt has increased if comparisons are based on the ratio of debt to GDP. Nevertheless, the reduction in Greece’s public deficit has been impressive. This success has already helped to hold the debt down. Beyond the numbers game, one has to look at the fundamental data on the Greek economy. Greece can be rescued only through a drastic improvement in its Economy’s competitiveness. We need to bear in mind that Greece lost 31% in terms of cost competitiveness between 2001 and 2009. This loss led to the problems that we are facing today. We have already been able to recover 75% of this loss through structural reforms. And we are only at the beginning. A Greece made strongly competitive on the international level have significant, clear advantages: natural and human resources, as well as its geographical advantage.
The Greek economy is small, without the burdens and inertia of larger countries that were industrial powers in the past. The Greek people are very adaptable. Greece will soon return to being a country that is a model in Southeast Europe, as in 1974, when it led the way in the democratization of this region of our continent.
JOURNALIST: Isn’t the deterioration of social conditions a threat to political stability?
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: Without a doubt, the economic and social crisis is testing our political system. A large number of Greeks expressed their discontent, giving their votes to extreme parties on the Left and Right. For the time being, these angry reactions have not gone past the safety limit. Thanks to the wisdom of Greek society, our political system is showing great durability. Nevertheless, the danger is real, particularly due to the fact that Greece is in a geopolitically sensitive region. That is why we are moving ahead with the eradication of the injustices and pathologies that fuel extremism. And this is not always easy when you are facing long-term macroeconomic demands. The Greek recovery requires a strategy that is not limited to the economy, but also has political, social, ideological and geopolitical dimensions. And our partners in Europe and the IMF are starting to understand the complexity of this reality.
JOURNALIST: What kind of support can Greece offer to France for the operation in Mali?
D. AVRAMOPOULOS: Greece will participate in the training force mission, the formation of which was decided on at the European level. And we will be participating despite our country’s economic difficulties. But Greece’s support for the French mission in Mali has a political and moral dimension that goes far beyond material ends. We need to remember that the Greeks have a long tradition of a presence in Africa – dating from ancient times and renewed in recent centuries. The African peoples see the Greeks as the closest Europeans. Historical ties, Greece’s position on the decolonization crises, and the Greek Diaspora’s economic activities have helped to give Greeks their favourable image in Africa. Thus, Greece’s is contributing a significant moral guarantee to the French efforts toward peace in Mali.