Encouragement and expectations

Enlarge image Guido Westerwelle with Prime Minister Lucas Papademos (© dpa / picture alliance) Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle travelled to Athens for political talks on 15 January. His trip focused on overcoming the financial crisis in Greece. In Athens, Guido Westerwelle met Prime Minister Lucas Papademos and Foreign Minister Stavros Dimas. He also had talks with the leader of the centre-right opposition party Nea Dimokratia, Antonis Samaras.

During his stay in Greece, Foreign Minister Westerwelle expressed his encouragement while also stating his expectations. On the one hand, he declared his respect for the reform measures already initiated by the Greek Government. On the other hand, he also stated that the German Government expected the reform programme to be consistently pursued.

Europe and Greece belong together Enlarge image Foreign Minister Westerwelle with his Greek counterpart Dimas (© dpa / picture alliance)

Westerwelle underlined during his visit to Athens that he was keen to make clear to the Greek public that reforms are expected from Greece but that the progress already achieved was appreciated.

“Europe and Greece belong together,” he stated. It was therefore not only in the interest of Greece but also of Europe as a whole that agreed reforms were consistently implemented.

Updated: 16 January 2012

Source: FFO