Greece will not go back to austerity: PM Tsipras

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says Athens will not accept any return to austerity, as the last five years of the policies have led to an unprecedented recession, a human crisis and record unemployment.

Tsipras made the remarks on Monday in an interview with the Greek daily Ethnos.

The Greek prime minister added that he was convinced a deal will be reached with international creditors – the European Union (EU), the European Central Bank (ECB), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – to receive a new tranche of bailout money.

“The key for an honorable compromise is to recognize that the previous policy of extreme austerity has failed, not only in Greece, but in the whole of Europe,” said Tsipras.

“Whatever obstacles we may encounter in our negotiating effort, we will not return to the policies of austerity,” Tsipras said.

Tsipras’ Syriza Party won the Greek general elections in early January on the promise that it would renegotiate the terms of the country’s bailout program with its international lenders. However, the new leftist government has faced opposition from its creditors, who have repeatedly said they want the new Greek government to meet the commitments agreed to by the former center-right administration in return for the bailout.

When asked if the Greek government has an alternative plan if the eurozone partners refuse to grant any leeway, Tsipras said he believed the issue would be resolved at the next EU summit, scheduled for March 19 and 20.

“I don’t believe we will need to apply alternative plans because the issue will be solved at a political level by the end of the week in the run up to the EU summit, or, if necessary, at the EU summit (itself),” said Tsipras.

On February 20, eurozone finance ministers agreed to give Greece a four-month extension of its international bailout to avert the possibility of the country’s exit from the currency area. But Athens will not receive any of the cash until eurozone partners approve a list of reform measures proposed by Greece.

The current Greek government is seeking to revise the terms of the country’s €240-billion ($270 billion) bailout it received from the troika of international lenders following the 2009 economic crisis.