New Greek Government Holds First Meeting
New Greek Government Holds First Meeting
January 28, 2015 8:46 AM
New Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says he wants to reach a "fair, viable and mutually beneficial solution" with its international lenders as he begins to reverse the austerity measures he says have led to a humanitarian crisis in his country.
Tsipras said Wednesday in Athens during his first meeting with his new Cabinet that he is eager to avoid any destructive confrontations with its creditors, but said Greece would no longer blindly submit to the demands of the European Union.
The new government is seeking to eliminate some of Greece's massive debt and ease austerity measures imposed on it in exchange for more than $300 billion in loans, including reversing sharp wage and pension cuts. It is also canceling plans to privatize many of its assets, including the sale of its main port of Piraeus to Chinese shipping giant Cosco.
The recent moves sent Greece's financial markets downward for a third straight day Wednesday.
Tsipras officially took office Monday, a day after leading his anti-austerity Syriza party to sweeping victories in parliamentary elections, and quickly joining with a smaller right-wing anti-bailout party to form a government.
Greece's trio of international lenders - the European Union, International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank - has shown no inclination it will renegotiate terms of the bailouts. But the creditors said they will discuss Greece's financial affairs with the new government.
The leader of the eurozone's finance ministers, Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, said he would visit Athens on Friday to meet with Prime Minister Tsipras.VOA
Comments