“Greece will continue to walk the path of seriousness, resisting the sirens of populism”
Greece from a weak link turned into an international example of success, the Minister of National Economy and Finance pointed out Kostis Hatzidakisfrom Washington where he participated in the work of the Annual Meeting of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Concluding the visit to the American capital, the minister specifically stated:
“Greece has changed its level in the last five years from a weak link, it has turned into an example of success. That was the central message from the meetings I had with representatives of the International Monetary Fund, high-ranking executives of investment and banking groups, rating agencies and economic analysts over the past three days in Washington.
All those who congratulate the government on the performance of the Greek economy are neither doing it out of courtesy, nor do they have any obligation to us. They see the figures for growth, public debt, primary surpluses, investment, exports, falling unemployment and the great progress that has been made. They understand that we are implementing the right mix of economic policy and that we are determined to proceed with all the necessary reforms to take Greece even higher. But mainly they find that the Greek citizens have learned the lesson from the troubles of the past decade and for this they trust a responsible government that does not promise more than it can deliver. We are determined to be worthy of this trust. Greece will continue to walk the path of seriousness, resisting the sirens of populism.”
On the sidelines of the Synod, Mr. Hatzidakis had meetings with the Director General of the IMF Kristalina Georgieva, the director of the Department of Fiscal Affairs of the IMF Vítor Gaspar and the director of the European Department of the IMF Alfred Kammer. During the meetings, among other things, the recent IMF report on the prospects of the world economy was discussed, which revised upward the forecasts for growth in Greece both for 2024 (to 2.3% from 2%) , as well as for 2025 (to 2% from 1.9%).
The ministry reminds that a few days ago ELSTAT also revised upwards its figures for GDP and investments in 2023. It is noted that for his part, the Greek minister presented the initiatives being promoted in critical sectors, such as dealing with of tax evasion, privatizations, the establishment of non-state universities and the effort to speed up the administration of justice, while making it clear that the government is determined to continue following the same successful recipe, based on the combination of fiscal stability and pro-development reforms.
At the same time, Mr. Hatzidakis sat in on a working dinner hosted by Mrs. Georgieva for ministers from advanced European economies, where developments in the global economy and the important challenges facing Europe in terms of the competitiveness of its economy were discussed. The Greek minister pointed out the need to undertake common actions at the European level, stressing that we must move from analyzes and findings to actions and results.
In addition, Mr. minister held meetings with high-ranking executives from investment and banking groups, including Blackrock vice-chairman Philipp Hildebrand, Deutsche Bank chief executive Christian Sewing, Citigroup vice-chairman Jay Collins and Nomura vice-chairman Masahiro Goto. The subject of the specific meetings were the perspectives of the Greek and global economy, while special emphasis was placed on the important investment opportunities that exist today in our country, due to the combination of economic and political stability. Similar discussions were held by Mr. Hatzidakis and with representatives of rating agencies and financial analysts. At the same time, he gave interviews to the Reuters agency and the CNBC and Skynews television networks.
In the context of the meetings, Mr. Hatzidakis participated in the meeting of the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action. The goal of the Alliance, of which Greece is a regular member, is to promote strong collective actions regarding climate change and addressing its effects. The Greek minister also participated in a round table discussion on the support and reconstruction of Ukraine, as well as in the plenary session of the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC).
Also, during his stay in Washington, Mr. Hatzidakis participated in a lunch organized in his honor by the ambassador of Greece in Washington, Aikaterini Nasikas.
The Greek delegation was attended by the president of the Council of Economic Experts (SOE), Michalis Argyrou, and the director general of the Public Debt Management Organization (ODDHI), Dimitris Tsakonas.
