We have to be more decisive if we want to survive as Europeans, Foreign Minister George Gerapetritis said on Thursday, expressing concern about the rise of extremist political parties and populism in Europe.
During his speech at the Fourth Thessaloniki Metropolitan Summit organised by the Economist in collaboration with Powergame.gr., Gerapetritis said that one of the reasons Greece has stability today is that it has survived the crisis and dealt with populism.
Gerapetritis participated in a discussion with the president of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and former president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, and pointed out the following: “I am not sure that we will have the United States of Europe, as Martin Schulz predicted, but we should reinvent Europe and try to find the basic principles on which Europe was built.
Europe is currently at a crossroads and right now we are called upon to make important decisions. We have to be strong, because we have very difficult choices ahead of us.”
Asked what Greece can offer to the European Union, Gerapetritis replied: “One of the reasons we have stability today is because we have survived the crisis. We had to deal with populism. We tasted populism and saw that it was difficult for us, there was a very difficult attitude towards us. Despite the economic crisis, it is true that we survived and we now consider ourselves experienced, characterised by resilience and stability. We now have stability, the Greek people now know that populism is not the answer to any question and this is a very important political contribution for Europe. Also, Greece, due to its geopolitical history, can play the role of a North-South, East-West bridge. Bridges are a tool for improvement and sustainability.”
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On camera statements:
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SOURCE; ANA-MPA
