Athens Macedonian News Agency: News in English, 16-12-31

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

CONTENTS

[01] Pavlopoulos: 2017 must be the year of national restoration, hope and optimism

[02] Tsipras: Greece will take a step forward in 2017

[01] Pavlopoulos: 2017 must be the year of national restoration, hope and optimism

Pavlopoulos said that he hoped 2016 was the last year of pessimism and lack of perspective that plagued out country and its people.

He underlined that we must send the message inside and outside the country that we support our national targets with determination and united. He added: "It is necessary to change the specific austerity policy implemented so far that leads nowhere."

Moreover, he said that the major issue of the refugee crisis can only be efficiently addressed with the direct and definite termination of the war in Syria and the wider region. He also referred to national issues such as the Cyprus problem and the Lausanne Treaty.

[02] Tsipras: Greece will take a step forward in 2017

"We aspire that 2017 will be the year that the irreplaceable role of Greece in the international and European scene will be confirmed," he underlined.

The Prime Minister referred to the government's main targets for the new year, especially in the fields of economy, society, growth, investments and he sent a message of optimism. "We may still have a lot of challenges ahead but for the first time we can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

He stressed that 2017 will be the year that the confidence to the Greek economy will be restored adding that this is not just a wish but a realistic estimate. The conclusion of the second programme review will be followed by the quantitative easing and Greece's return to the markets.

He explained that Greece made significant progress last year. "We achieved the stabilisation of the economy and recorded positive growth rates. We managed to reduce unemployment by another 3 percentage points and increased the number of people that are entitled to public health services. The humanitarian programme was widened and Greece became the first country in the EU as regards the absorption rates of EU funds," he said.

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