Athens News Agency: News in English, 09-09-20

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

CONTENTS

[01] Karamanlis accuses PASOK of 'irresponsible populism'

[01] Karamanlis accuses PASOK of 'irresponsible populism'

Karamanlis sharply criticised main opposition PASOK party leader George Papaandreou, accusing him of "unreliability", regarding the latter's proposals on the economy and the national issues.

"The path that we have paved in the past years cannot be intercepted. It will not stop. It cannot stop. We are continuing the struggle together. We are struggling for Greece which is optimistic. Greece that wants and can. Greece of the future," the prime minister said.

"The endurances of the economy are at stake. We want the citizens to know all the truth about the measures that must be taken and serve one aim to enable us to emerge stronger from the crisis," he added.

Referring to the economy, Karamanlis said that he chose "the difficult path and not the easy one of PASOK's populism," without taking political cost into consideration "because I am thinking of our children's future, that is my criterion, the future of our country and the national interest above all."

The prime minister also commented on the energy agreements that his government has signed and that have placed the country, as he said, on the global energy map, referring in particular to the Burgas-Alexandroupoli pipeline, which he termed an agreement of national importance that all are realising, "except for the leading group of PASOK and this is inconceivable" and pointing out that by "placing obstacles for the agreement, national interests are not being served."

Karamanlis accused PASOK of "irresponsible populism", saying that it "is attempting to deceive the citizens and is sharing out promises" and adding that "we are saying come to the elections all of you, vote en masse, your vote is a decision of responsibility, think of the next day."

Criticising Papandreou over national issues, Karamanlis also said "think of our national issues: Remember your experiences from the recent past. The pressures on the Greek Cypriots by the leader of PASOK on the Annan Plan, PASOK's peculiar recent positions on Skopje (the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). Our decisive position in Bucharest. A position of national responsibility and pride."

Lastly, Karamanlis stated that "we have a national obligation to dare today, not tomorrow, considerable structural changes to create new structures. With difficult decisions, today, we shall be with the winners on the day after the crisis."

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