European Parliament President Martin Schulz
Statement by Martin Schulz on the swearing in of Alexis Tsipras as Prime Minister of Greece
Press Release Brussels 26-01-2015
On behalf of the European Parliament I would like to express my congratulations to Alexis Tsipras, the new Prime Minister of Greece. It is a historical victory for his party.
The position in the European Parliament is clear. Mr Tsipras is the democratically elected Prime Minister of a member state of the European Union with a full right in that regard to be respected by the European institutions as a representative of the government of Greece.
This is a major change for Greece and has an impact on Europe. The Prime Minister has regularly said during his campaign that he intends to discuss many aspects related to the "memorandum" and the Troika. We are looking forward to discussing them with him. The European Parliament is open to all discussion, but negotiations must be based on mutual respect and trust. It will also be important to stick to agreements made to stabilise the country and the European Union. I am looking forward to working closely with Prime Minister Tsipras in this regard.
I would also like to convey my gratitude to outgoing Prime Minister Samaras, a convinced pro- European who was also a member of the European Parliament. He led Greece during very dramatic times and chaired the Greek Presidency of the Council in a very respectful way.
For further information:
Armin Machmer John Schranz Spokesperson Press Officer +32 479 97 11 98 +32 498 98 14 02
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