Ploetner: Greece on track, must continue reforms
German Ambassador to Greece Jens Ploetner is not ruling out bilateral and multilateral deals between countries that share a common European vision and are impacted by the migration crisis.
In an interview with Kathimerini, Ploetner also vehemently denied speculation that the name deal signed between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), the agreement on migrant returns and the economy were the result of an exchange between Athens and Berlin, describing it as “baseless.”
He said that the Eurogroup agreement was good for Greece and Europe and showed that European solidarity works.
Greece, he said, will be able to finance its needs without outside help. That was the aim of the bailout program and that is what was achieved, he said, adding the deal is a “strong package.”
However, he insisted that Greeks will only reap the benefits of the efforts if the country stays the course on reforms.
He also noted that there is a sense that the coalition government has increasingly been taking ownership of the bailout program in recent years and lauded the conservative opposition for backing crucial reforms instead of playing the populist card.
As for the debt, he said that its sustainability alone is not enough to attract investments to Greece and that an investment-friendly environment must be cultivated.
He also noted that disputing the results of everything Greece has achieved so far will only take it backward.
