Italy offers its “strong support and solidarity” to the Greek government and to Greece in the reform process undertaken, as Minister Terzi commented in a press conference at the end of a meeting in Rome with his Greek colleague Dimitris Avramopoulos, who expressed his appreciation for Italy’s role, which he defined as “a leader” in relations between northern and southern Europe.
Common counter-crisis strategies
Terzi and Avramopoulos discussed the crisis as well as energy, with a particular focus on the trans-Adriatic pipeline project (TAP), both underscoring the excellent status of bilateral relations as an important element in forging a common counter-crisis strategy. “We want Greece to remain in the euro, within the stability of the European Union”, Terzi asserted, “But European level measures are going to be necessary to overcome the crisis and re-establish market confidence and equilibrium. Stability is central to the EU’s economic and monetary policy”. The minister also underscored that in this context “Greece and Italy have a strong partnership in Brussels” and that “the European project must go forward in order to have every chance of succeeding. The measures decided on by the June-end EU Council will have to be enacted; that is the right way to go”.
Optimism in dark phases
Greece and Italy have faced their own dark phases in history with optimism, Avramopoulos responded to a journalist’s question on whether the Greek and Italian governments were optimistic about the end of the euro crisis. “We have got through very difficult moments in the past because we were optimistic”, he said, “Now we are in this difficult crisis, and in Greece we are determined to go forward with the structural reforms needed to create an atmosphere of confidence among the society and its leaders”.