Friday, January 30, 2015

Birds Of A Feather: Obama Congratulates Hardline Leftist Tsipras for Election Win, Expresses Wish to Work Together

1/30/2015

WASHINGTON – U.S. President Barack Obama has telephoned the new Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras “to congratulate him on his recent election victory,” the White House said in a statement.

During the call on Wednesday, Obama said that the U.S., “as a longstanding friend and ally, looks forward to working closely with the new Greek government to help Greece return to a path of long-term prosperity.”

The two leaders also spoke about the close cooperation between Greece and the United States on issues of European security and counterterrorism, read the brief statement.

The leftist Tsipras’ Syriza Party achieved a clear victory in general elections held on Sunday, obtaining 149 seats, two seats short of achieving an absolute majority.

Tsipras then formed a coalition-government with the right-wing nationalist Independent Greeks party with whom Syriza shares anti-austerity policies.

Although both parties want to put an end to the tradition of partisanship and nepotism that has marked Greece during the last few decades and been one of the reasons for the economic crisis plaguing the country, they differ in many other aspects of social welfare.

On Wednesday, at his first cabinet meeting, Tsipras declared that one of the priorities of the new government of “social salvation” will be “a new renegotiation with our partners, seeking a just, viable and mutually beneficial solution.”

The European Union and Berlin are wary of the new proposals of the new prime minister that seek to renegotiate the country’s debt with the so-called “troika” – the EU, the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank.

Tsipras’ win has set the country for a head-on collision with the EU and the austerity policies imposed on the country due to the economic crisis. 


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