Tsipras says Greece’s problem is Europe’s problem

Greece’s debt crisis is a problem for all of Europe and the European Union faces a choice between showing solidarity with Greece or sticking to austerity policies that lead nowhere, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Friday.

Tsipras has remained upbeat about securing a cash-for-reforms deal from Greece’s international creditors as the country edges towards default and a possible exit from the euro zone.

“The European Union, which we are part of, should find its way back to its statutory principles: solidarity, democracy, social justice,” Tsipras said in St. Petersburg on a two-day visit to Russia. “By sticking to policies of austerity, and policies which harm social cohesion, which aggravate the recession, this is impossible.”

[Reuters]