Athens , 8 March 2010

Mr. Sarkozy: I have had a very detailed and very positive discussion with the Prime Minister of Greece, Mr. George Papandreou. I would like to congratulate him on his courage. Mr. Papandreou is a very courageous man who took the necessary measures with determination in order to consolidate Greece’s public finances, as he had committed himself at the European Council on 11 February.

Today, I also had a long telephone conversation with Germany’s Chancellor, Ms. Merkel.  

Greece has taken resolute and decisive action and it can thus count on France’s full support. France stands by Greece’s side in the most determined manner.

At the European Council of 11 February, we said two things: first of all, that Greece had to do everything to maintain this ambitious goal to cut its budgetary deficit by 4% by taking additional measures. This is precisely what Greece did.

Greece did exactly what Europe had requested. But there was a second demand: that eurozone member countries would take coordinated and decisive measures, if these were proven necessary.

The Greek government have taken the measures we expected. So now, the members of the eurozone should stand by their side and be ready to take their own measures. France will do what is needed, in close cooperation with its partners.

Today, Greece has no need for specific financing, as Mr. Papandreou assured us. Greece showed that it can regain its credibility on its own. But I want to be absolutely clear: if needed, eurozone members would have kept to their commitments. There can be no question of that.

The euro is our common currency. And it implies solidarity among members of the eurozone. There can be no doubt on the expression of such solidarity. On this score, I would also like to say that Greece’s future is obviously jeopardized, but Europe’s future is also jeopardized in equal measure.

Europeans have jointly created a common currency. All the states that share this currency have to show solidarity, this is their political commitment, their moral obligation, but also the financial reality.

And I want to point out that Greece, Germany and France are going to take coordinated action following consultations to tackle speculation. France is determined to do what is necessary in order for Greece to come out of this crisis stronger, and for Europe to come out stronger and more united.

On 11 February, we decided to provide them with the necessary means, by taking the relevant commitments at the Council of Finance Ministers, which have been kept to. I would particularly like to thank Christine Lagarde and Bernard Coushner, along with the Prime Minister, for concluding this discussion and keeping to what was agreed upon.

Mr. Papandreou: Mr. President, dear Nicolas, I would like to say a warm thank you for the substantial personal support you have shown to Greece. A support offered from the very outset.

I see a true friend in you, someone who embodies the friendship between our two peoples and the strategic relationship between our two countries.

As you mentioned, the main focus of our discussions has been the economic crisis, which does not only concern the Greek economy, but also touches upon the hard core of the European Union, its common currency; a crisis that also has to do with the operation of international markets.

I had the opportunity to describe to Mr. Sarkozy the measures our country has taken to immediately address the economic situation. I once again pointed out our strong political will to achieve economic recovery, consolidate our finances, make Greece attractive for investments and development again, ensuring the necessary social justice and cohesion.

{0>Είναι πολύ θετικό, και  ευχαριστώ Νικολά, που εσείς αλλά και η Γαλλία, αναγνωρίζετε και  στηρίζετε αυτή την acknowledge and support the Greek people’s struggle.«<0} {0>Και ξέρω ότι  δεν είστε μόνον εσείς, αλλά ότι  έχουμε την αλληλεγγύη ολόκληρου του Γαλλικού λαού.<}0{>And I know that you are not the only one, but that the entire French people have been showing their solidarity.<0} {0>Και θέλω να ευχαριστήσω το Γαλλικό λαό γι’ αυτή την αλληλεγγύη που μας δείχνει.<}0{>And I want to thank the French people for the solidarity they have been showing us.<0}

France also supports the euro – tangibly and in every manner possible – and it has been doing so systematically. It is also what we want. This is why we wanted to show – through our own determination – that we are able to take the measures – however tough— that would, first of all, contribute to the consolidation of Greece’s finances and to the stabilisation of eurozone as a whole.

We started a few months ago, and when I took office I was given a mandate to usher in changes in my country, Greece. This was a mandate to build a different Greece, a new Greece, to take the future in our own hands. And the first step was to come out of this crisis, to take the first tough measures and beyond that, to continue this struggle together with the Greek people, to redress our economy and regain our country’s standing and credibility on the international and European level.

This is our duty, first of all, to the future of Greece and to our European partners. This is why any attacks we’ve had or might have from speculators are not simply a Greek issue, they are a European issue. They are of concern to Europe, to the eurozone and to the common currency itself.

And I want to hope that the crisis my country has been going through will be the incentive to have a more united, stronger European Union and Eurozone, with a strong financial governance – as you yourself have said, dear Nicolas. But what we need right now is determination to address any attempts to attack and speculate on Greece’s expense.

It is a very important step that we have agreed to take joint action together with President Sarkozy, Chancellor Merkel and in cooperation with Eurogroup’s President, Jean-Claude Juncker. This is an initiative that will be made public very soon.

I think I don’t need to go into other matters. Relations between our two countries are excellent – as I stressed on my previous visit here – and our bilateral cooperation spans many areas; we also have cooperation within the Union for the Mediterranean – an initiative by President Sarkozy – as well as in the Balkans, in the Middle East, which we also talked about.

Nicolas, we look forward to seeing you in Greece too of course. Thank you once again.