Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ statement at the Economic Forum in St. Petersburg
I would like to thank the organizers for
the great honor of inviting me to participate in this important event
at the International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg.
Many of you may be wondering why I am
here today and not in Brussels negotiating. However, I am here, exactly
because I think that a country that wants to examine and explore
possibilities for succeeding, must have a multidimensional policy and
engage with countries that are currently playing a key role in global
economic developments.
The economic circumstances that resulted from the global crisis’ eruption in 2008 have led to a very different world.
In Europe, we had long been under
the illusion that we were the center of the world, taking into
consideration only those developments occurring just beyond the borders
of our neighborhood to the other side of the Atlantic.
The world’s economic center of gravity, however, has shifted.
New emerging powers are playing an increasingly important role–economically and geopolitically.
International relations are
acquiring an increasingly multipolar nature. The role of the G20, the
upgrading of the regional cooperation processes in Asia, Latin America,
and Africa, as well as the strengthening of cooperation between the
BRICS countries are irrefutable proof of the emerging new economic
world.
Moreover, the Eurasian Union–this
relatively new project for regional economic integration–is potentially
another source of new wealth production and economic power.
However, these changes do not, in and of themselves, lead to a more peaceful or a stable world.
The existing significant social
challenges remain, including poverty, unemployment and social
marginalization, while regional conflicts, crises and tensions are
intensifying. In the Middle East, Africa, the Black Sea region.
And in this sense, the great
challenge of this new era is whether the shift in the global economic
center of gravity will generate new possibilities for addressing these
global social challenges and inequalities, or whether it will accelerate
the uncontrolled course of the global economy–aptly described as a
“casino-economy” by the former President of the European Commission,
Jacques Delors, shortly before the resounding economic collapse in 2008.
For the old financial center,
particularly for Europe and the Western world, the challenge will be
whether it chooses to react positively to new challenges by building
bridges of cooperation with the emerging world, or whether it will
remain committed to old doctrines, raising new walls of geopolitical
conflicts.
The crisis in Ukraine, for example,
opened a new wound of destabilization in the heart of Europe, a bad omen
for international developments. Instead of greater economic and
political cooperation in the region, there is a revival of an obsolete
Cold War. Which leads to a vicious cycle of aggressive rhetoric,
militarization and trade sanctions.
This vicious cycle must come to an
end as quickly as possible; diplomatic initiatives, such as implementing
the Minsk Agreement, are valuable and should be supported.
My country, Greece, is located in
the geographical center of many of these crises and tensions;
nevertheless, it maintains its role as a pole of stability and security
in the region. As a European, Mediterranean and Balkan country, as well
as one belonging to the wider Black Sea neighborhood, Greece seeks to be
a bridge of cooperation in its region. To become a hub of investment,
trade, energy cooperation, transport, tourism, cultural and educational
exchanges at the crossroads of three continents.
We intend to capitalize on our participation in all international bodies that we are members of as a European country.
While fully respecting our
commitments as such, we will also actively seek to become a bridge of
cooperation both in our region and beyond, with our traditional friends
such as Russia, but also with new global and regional organizations.
Of course, as you are all
undoubtedly aware, we are currently in the middle of a storm. But we are
a seafaring people, well-versed in weathering storms and unafraid of
sailing in large seas, in new seas, in order to reach new and more
secure ports.
Friends,
The problem that we, and our
partners in the EU are facing hinges on the developments I have
described. The EU, of which Greece is a member, must rediscover its true
course by returning to its founding statutory principles and
declarations: Solidarity, democracy, social justice. This will be
impossible, though, if the EU persists with austerity policies and the
disruption of social cohesion, which only serve to further the
recession.
Let us not fool ourselves: the
so-called Greek problem is not a Greek problem. It is a European
problem. The problem is not Greece. The problem is the Eurozone, and its
very structure.
And the question remains, whether
the EU will allow room for growth, social cohesion and prosperity.
Whether it will allow room for political solidarity instead of policies
imposing dead ends and failed projects.
Dear Friends,
The emerging new multipolar world
will truly be innovative and pioneering if it can free itself of the
root problems fueling the global crisis. But this cannot occur–it has
never occurred in history–without bold decisions. We cannot move forward
in this new world while still carrying the burdens of our past
mistakes. Otherwise, we will be doomed to repeat them and we will
continue to fail–whereas the challenge for us is to change in order to
succeed. To face new challenges and overcome them. Thank you very much.
