German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to debt-wracked Greece this week is a chance to show solidarity and recognition of its efforts, government and opposition parties said Sunday. Merkel's trip to Athens on Tuesday is "an act of recognition for the Greek government which is under great pressure with its reform policy", Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said. The minister, who is from the Free Democratic Party (FDP), a junior partner in the centre-right coalition, told Monday's Bild newspaper that the Greeks had earned "fairness and respect". For his part, the FDP's parliamentary chief, Rainer Bruederle, told the Welt am Sonntag newspaper that the chancellor's visit was "a clear sign of our solidarity with Greece". Politicians from the opposition Social Democratic Party (SPD) and Greens struck a similar tone ahead of the visit, Merkel's first to Greece since the eurozone debt crisis ignited nearly three years ago. Relations between Greece and Europe's effective paymaster Germany have been strained, with Merkel blamed in Athens for imposing austerity at all costs and the Greeks criticised in Berlin for not keeping promises. Merkel must make it clear that "we are helping out of mutual interest and not as a rich uncle who knows everything better", European Parliament president Martin Schulz, an SPD member, told the Leipziger Volkszeitung. And the Green party's parliamentary group leader Juergen Trittin urged Merkel in the Welt am Sonntag to make clear to the Greeks that "they can count on European solidarity on the hard path ahead of them". Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said Friday the message she would take to Athens would be that "we want to help Greece stabilise itself within the eurozone." "We are doing that by massively contributing to the two aid packages that are supposed to help Greece come out of the crisis," he said, stressing that aid was possible only if Greece stuck to the austerity cuts demanded by international creditors. Nevertheless, he said Berlin saw greater efforts being made under Prime Minister Antonis Samaras.
GMT 12:09 2018 Monday ,26 November
Black Friday less wild as more Americans turn to online dealsGMT 15:07 2018 Sunday ,18 November
Refugee host countries discuss UNRWA's financial crisisGMT 17:22 2018 Wednesday ,31 October
Russia climbed to 31st place in Doing Business-2019 ratingGMT 16:53 2018 Wednesday ,17 October
"Putin" We need for collective restoration of Syria's economyGMT 14:02 2018 Friday ,12 October
Govt to announce incentives package for Overseas PakistanisGMT 18:26 2018 Saturday ,06 October
Dubai attracts Dh17.7 billion in foreign direct investmentGMT 09:02 2018 Friday ,21 September
Economy of Georgia demonstrates "strong signs of recovery"GMT 09:03 2018 Wednesday ,24 January
German investor confidence surges in JanuaryMaintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2021 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor