Galery

1

In today's speech to parliament, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said that his government would not become the recipient of "ultimatums" or "racketeering" on the part of "some bureaucrats in order to frighten him." He was firm that the bills on the "humanitarian crisis" and the deferred payment of tax liabilities would be submitted for voting despite the veto from Brussels.

"We are building a wall of dignity," Tsipras said, adding, "if the partners believed at one point that we would be followers of previous governments, we have certainly disappointed them."

In response to the letter from European Commission representative Declan Costello, which defines the specific bills as unilateral actions, the Greek Prime Minister said that Athens would respond to the "technocrats with composure and determination" by submitting to parliament the bill on the "humanitarian crisis."

He wondered how it was possible for "some in Europe" to require the withdrawal of bills that aim to help thousands of households, "dying of cold from lack of electricity."

"The European Union is not owned by technocrats. There are rules that are controlled by the institutions that are controlled by the people. There are no prosecutors and defendants there," he said.

Then he said again that the Greek government was determined to comply with the agreement of 20 February, stating that Greece’s partners should also "stop their unilateral actions and comply with the agreement signed by them." According to him, the agreement is not the end of the negotiation process, as hereinafter negotiations are taking place at the political level.

Coalition partner of Tsipras, leader of Independent Greeks and Minister of Defence Panos Kammenos said, "This government takes orders from the Greek people alone, not from the lenders." He urged all lawmakers to vote "for" the adoption of the law and thus to prove that Greece is a sovereign state with the following words:

"Ignore the orders of lenders that, with the wrong tactics, have brought the country to extreme poverty. Let us, as a united nation, seek victory in a Europe that respects the sovereignty of each state and the people's will. In this country, the Greek people give orders, not the lenders."

The discussions on the text of the bill are underway in parliament and, probably, they will not be completed earlier than midnight. Therefore, it is unlikely for the voting to take place today. After the speech of Alexis Tsipras, president of parliament Zoe Konstantopoulou accepted the request of Golden Dawn for a roll-call vote, thus provoking violent reactions among the ranks of the opposition, but also among the party members of SYRIZA. As a result, she had to withdraw her proposal.

The unsuccessful negotiations with the representatives of the lenders created an atmosphere of uncertainty that affected the Athens Stock Exchange, causing a 4.13% decline. At closing time today, the index decreased to 737.96 points, reporting an even lower value in the course of the session, namely 733.20 points, or a 4.75% decrease.