Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Friday thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her role in helping Athens tackle its financial and refugee crises, despite the population's opposition to Berlin-supported austerity measures
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th January, 2019) Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Friday thanked German Chancellor Angela Merkel for her role in helping Athens tackle its financial and refugee crises, despite the population's opposition to Berlin-supported austerity measures.On Thursday, Merkel arrived for a two-day visit to Greece to meet with Pavlopoulos, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras as well as with various civil activists. The Greek authorities had to ban demonstrations in the center of Athens during her visit because many Greeks were enraged by their government's long-running austerity measures. Protesters nevertheless managed to stage a demonstration that day, according to media reports.
"Greeks made many sacrifices, even for mistakes that could not be attributed to them and I am glad you acknowledged this ... On the issue of the refugee crisis, you showed very great courage. The cost for you was great," Pavlopoulos said during the talks, as quoted by the Kathimerini newspaper.
Merkel, in turn, commended the Prespa agreement, which settles the name dispute between Greece and Macedonia, even though the deal is yet to be ratified.
"[The deal is] a positive development not just for Greece and 'North Macedonia,' [but] for all sides ... peaceful resolution of the issue is in the interest of all," the German leader said, as quoted by the newspaper.
Greece has been in deep economic crisis since the 2007 global financial downturn. Since 2010, the European Union has provided several bailout packages to salvage the Greek economy in exchange for a series of unpopular austerity measures that limited public sector funding, and introduced pay cuts ans pension reforms, among other measures.
Since 2015, Europe has been facing a migration crisis, with scores of refugees arriving from crisis-torn countries. Many of them are attempting to reach the continent via the Mediterranean Sea, with Greece being one of the main points of entry.
