A. Tsipras: It is a great pleasure to welcome you to Greece. I think it is a great opportunity to celebrate the historical bonds between our people.
M. Higgins: I had a very positive meeting with the President of the Hellenic Republic. And we both reminded each other of these old historical bonds. I constantly remind the importance of our contemporary relations. As we share the views on the future of the Union. And of course you also know my views that I have published.
A. Tsipras: Yes, I know them very well. And I, also, know that our people suffered a lot during the crisis. Perhaps, the Greek people a little more than your people. But I think we are now in a better situation and we must work together to create a better future.
M. Higgins: Yes, I believe this is possible. And I also think that if one considers the experience of what Greece has been through and all that Ireland has been through, in particular, however, the Greek people are aware of the great importance of social Europe. The view I have been talking about is about building cohesion within countries, which of course involves recognizing diversity in housing, health and so on. So the capacity of the countries to improve on these sectors.
But also cohesion between countries because it does not meet the Union’s criteria if there is a deepening of inequalities or if the language we are speaking separates states from lenders and borrowers or from north and south. So, I think there is a way of pursuing a social Europe as a primary goal, creating an atmosphere that aims to integrate the institutions and that is what we are aiming for.
And it has not been so long since you received President Macron. And I read both his speeches, both in Athens and the Sorbonne. In fact, what we need to realize is that this debate, the Franco-German debate is very important but not sufficient. The dialogue must involve all peoples of Europe. And I believe we both agree, and as I have also discussed with the President of the Hellenic Republic, restoring the relationship with the European road must be the primary objective.
We have many common elements in relation to the sea, land, forms of landholding and the fight for independence. And the recent experience. I also believe that we have a common future and we can do a lot together. On my trip, members of Enterprise Ireland and other companies and agencies have accompanied me with various services and businesses. My purpose after my visit is to deepen our relations at a social, cultural, economic, and trade level, and we will have more frequent debates as to what unites us with regard to the future of Europe
