New year is one of ‘recovery, regrouping,’ says Greek PM

In his New Year’s message to the nation, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said 2016 will be a year of “recovery and regrouping,” adding that 2015 was the year that “the Greek people raised their heads high and boldly asserted their rights.”

“We are putting behind us a tough period of crisis and entering the next five-year stretch of our nation’s rebirth. These five years will be about regrouping and making the major inroads, changes and reforms that the country needs,” the prime minister said in his address.

“Five years from now, when we celebrate the 200th anniversary of Greek independence, we will have built a Greece that is deserving of its history and its people. A modern European nation, with deep roots of equality before the law, meritocracy and social justice,” Tsipras said, calling for “humanity and solidarity” in the battle against the humanitarian and refugee crises, as well as unemployment.