Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 13-03-25

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From: The Athens News Agency at <http://www.ana.gr/>

CONTENTS

[01] PASOK leader: Punitive solution imposed on Cyprus

[02] SYRIZA calls Eurogroup decision 'painful extortion' of Cyprus

[01] PASOK leader: Punitive solution imposed on Cyprus

Venizelos expressed his wholehearted support for the Cypriot Hellenism and stressed that averting possible adverse international-political repercussions from the latest economic developments is the primary concern.

On the stance of the Greek political parties, he said that the conclusions have been reached on which is the responsible, progressive and patriotic stance, while regarding the Greek issues he stressed that the national strategy voted for by the Greek people in the June 2012 elections leads to national recovery.

Venizelos said that "our thoughts today, day of the national anniversary, are with the Cypriot people who are experiencing, in an extreme way, the conversion of a banking and fiscal crisis into a national tribulation".

"We are at the side of Cypriot Hellenism with all our being, and our first concern is to avert possible adverse international-political consequences of the latest economic developments. The international existence and security of Cyprus is a fundamental national priority for Greece. It should have been a fundamental priority for Europe as well, which, as the Eurozone, proved incapable of assessing all the parameters of the Cypriot crisis," Venizelos said.

"The Eurozone, in which prevail the well-known correlations, with Germany at their center, selected Cyprus as a field for 'punishment and teaching a lesson'. The reasons are not credit or fiscal related, but primarily symbolic, and this choice was made despite the cost it could have for the European credit system," Venizelos continued.

"The Cypriot political forces will make their own assessment of the handlings, not only during the final phase but of the entire critical period. We in Greece, I believe, had already drawn our conclusions on what is the responsible, secure, progressive and truly patriotic stance and what the limits of demagogy and populism are," he said.

"The Greek people have in the last years been living the painful experience of the crisis, recession and unemployment. However, it knows very well that a better and safer alternative solution did not, and does not, exist. The national strategy that the Greek people ratified last June leads to national recovery, on three conditions: truth, unity and work," the PASOK leader concluded.

[02] SYRIZA calls Eurogroup decision 'painful extortion' of Cyprus

"Cyprus could have avoided this development if those who managed the proud 'no' of the Cypriot people were not the same ones who had supported last Friday's 'yes'. And chiefly if Cyprus had not been left desperately alone at the Eurogroup," SYRIZA said, charging that "with their stance on the issue of Cyprus, the countries of the (EU) South shot themselves in the legs", since "a generalised haircut of deposits, following the example of Cyprus, will soon be a choice for their own bailout programmes".

SYRIZA accused the Greek government of "not lending support to Cyprus but of identifying itself totally with the blackmail by the lenders" and of "refusing to give Cyprus just two (2) billion of the 50 billion euros earmarked for the recapitalisation of the Greek banks, when the Greek PSI cost the Cypriot banks 4.5 billion euro", and "even refused the prospect of the provision of temporary liquidity via the ELA (the European Central Bank's Emergency Liquidity Assistance tool) to annul the Eurogroup's extortionary timetable and give the Cypriot side time for negotiation".

It added that "apparently the intelligence" of the "moral and physical instigators of the catastrophic, for Greece and Cyprus, PSI, who were severely critical of SYRIZA", cannot fathom "the salvation of a country and people from the fury of neo-liberalism, but only options of subjugation".

SYRIZA's press release drew a sharp response from New Democracy (ND), which accused the main opposition party of "desperately seeking opportunities to 'justify' its dead-end and opportunistic policy".

ND charged that SYRIZA does not care about Cyprus, the Cypriot banks or the deposits and livelihood of the Cypriots, but "cares only about narrow party benefit".

"In Cyprus, though, all this demagogy has gone bankrupt. This is directly and absolutely clear," ND said, adding that SYRIZA does not care about a "nationally proud stance" on any issue, nor has manifested such a stance on any issue, but rather "on all the open national issues it demands Greece's full retreat....on many issues, it justifies the worst arguments of Greece's enemies".

ND warned that SYRIZA was leading Hellenism to total isolation and criticising all those who resist it, but added that the people in Greece and Cyprus have realised this. "But SYRIZA has yet to realise this, if it had, it would be ashamed," ND concluded.

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