Tsipras brandishes governance credentials on Berlin visit
SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras’ meeting in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday was seen as yet another move to strengthen the profile of the leftist party’s governance credentials, which the former prime minister is carefully crafting.
This was preceded in February by the face-to-face meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, with party sources pointing out the importance that the US and Germany attach to the possibility of SYRIZA assuming power after the elections. The talks with the German chancellor lasted about an hour, with Tsipras outlining his plan for “progressive” governance.
In his statement, he said that SYRIZA “will take on the difficult task of reviving the economy and supporting society, restore the rule of the rule of law and leave behind the clientelist practices of corruption and anarchy.”
He said he will also implement a plan aimed at reducing inequalities, supporting the real economy, regulating private debt, targeted foreign investment to tackle the huge current account deficit and redistributing the resources of the Recovery Fund to include small and medium-sized enterprises.
He stressed the need for Greece to become a pillar of stability in the region, while criticizing the current government’s policy of buying arms mainly from France, without investing in Greek industry.
