“The next summer will be a historic landmark for Greece”

Meeting with European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Pierre Moscovici, at Maximos Mansion.

P. Moscovici: I met and we had breakfast with Mr. Fessas from SEV and I met with representatives of SETE. Then, I would, obviously, meet with you. And, tonight, I will give my speech at the Economic Conference. Tomorrow, I will meet with Mr Mitsotakis and then I will attend a forum organized by L’Obs. It is a busy schedule.

A. Tsipras: Today, we had very good news from the markets, the transactions are going well. Demand is great, from investors and this proves that we are on the right track. Now is the time to plan our steps carefully, as the next summer will be a historic landmark for Greece, after eight years. And I believe that the moment has come, and we must plan and organize the next day, in a more positive way, a more optimistic way for the Greek people that has suffered a lot, all these years.

P. Moscovici: This is clear. And, I, also, share this feeling of confidence and hope. I am optimistic, because now I can see the recovery. I, also, delivered the figures for growth yesterday, 1.6% for 2017, 2.5% for the next two years. I can see that unemployment is declining. The return to the markets is on the right track despite market shifts. This is a message of hope, because I’m pretty sure we can now move towards a successful completion of the program in the summer. And the future will belong to Greece, because it is clear to me that when you are in a program you are in it. And when you exit the program, you are out completely. This does not mean that the commitments should not be respected. And when you are referring to a clear exit, and I am talking about a successful completion. We mean the same thing.

A. Tsipras: It is very important that we are on the same page and we do not need translators.

P. Moscovici: We do not need translators. Not because we both speak English but because we understand each other.