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| (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
President Papoulias exchanged best wishes with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, Radical Left Coalition (SYRIZA) leader Alexis Tsipras, Communist Party of Greece (KKE) secretary Dimitris Koutsoumbas, Independent Greeks president Panos Kammenos and Popular Orthodox Rally (LAOS) president George Karatzaferis.
The Greek President believes that the political climate in Greece will calm down, because, as he noted, political unrest is in the interests of no one.
In his New Year's message to the Greek people Prime Minister Antonis Samaras stressed that the nation has "passed through the difficulties and avoided the worst; 2014 will be a year of recovery and hope".
Samaras noted that Greece is "no longer asking for loans, we achieved what is self-evident: to meet our needs and, this, with the primary surplus. We took the first step to stand on our feet, we put an end to the vicious circle of recession and 2014 is dawning with prospects of recovery and growth".
The prime minister also said that the primary surplus is not simply figures, it is the foundation of Greece's independence and hope, and said the government would "return its largest part to society, to the weaker and the most unfairly treated. Recovery, as he said, will begin to create jobs and salary increases - the first collective labour agreement has already been signed after four years".
"The reversal of the climate has begun and recovery will spread everywhere", he said and added that Greece will enter the markets in 2014 and will become a normal country and furthermore the Greek debt will be proclaimed sustainable without memorandums.He further said that the great difficulties have passed and also that "we proved that we are dealing a blow at corruption everywhere - more and more and prominent figures are facing justice".
The prime minister said Greece had honoured its commitments, and its partners will honour theirs, and asserted that Greece shall exit the memorandum; at the end of 2014 "all will see the light at the end of the tunnel," he noted.
The great wave of reforms shall begin in 2014, the premier said, while discussion will also begin on constitutional revision, paving the way for the participation of young people in politics with merit criteria, without family rule.
The prime minister made special reference to the attack on the German ambassador's residence earlier on Monday, "We had a cowardly attack at the home of the German ambassador - some are trying to deal a blow to the country, they shall not succeed. Those trying to undermine our stability hate Greece. Greece held out, democracy held out and is holding out".
Addressing the Greek people, the prime minister stressed:
"I wish to say a big thank you to all; it is the admirable maturity of the Greek people that will be rewarded. The last few years were painful and pain still exists - mainly the unemployment of our young people - and mistakes and injustices took place that shall be remedied. We have the ground now to correct them. We cannot leave the country to slide to instability. Some are sorry for Greece's achievements. We are not dealing with the past, we are dealing with the future. We put an end to the downslide in 2013. 2014 shall be the first year of recovery. The Greece that we are building needs firm foundations to go far and to hold out. We win whenever we are united in difficulties and not divided. We are now turning grumbling into hope. Warmest wishes to all, and a happy New Year".(Combined Reports AMNA)
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