PM blames ND for attack on Mayor Boutaris, vows to continue reforms post-bailout

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told his cabinet today that the government will honour all its existing commitments in the post-bailout period, and presented to the cabinet his growth strategy for the coming years.

At the same time, he blamed New Democracy for the near lynching of Thessaloniki Mayor Yannis Boutaris on 19 May.

“The completion of the fourth bailout evaluation is yet another essential step to exiting the memorandums,” the PM said, adding that debt relief will be crucial for the Greek economy the day after.

“Obviously the growth strategy provides for the agreed upon fiscal targets for the next four years, both as regards primary surpluses and growth,” he said, in a statement clearly aiming to reassure creditors.

Tsipras says the strategy provides for a hike in the minimum wage, the revival of collective bargaining contracts, and efforts to root out employers who do not declare their personnel.

Regarding debt relief, Tsipras said that negotiations are underway and he cited the framework decided by the Eurogroup last June, stressing the provision that debt servicing costs cannot exceed 15 percent of GDP.

Tsipras essentially presented the government’s “Growth Strategy for the Future”, which has already been submitted for review to Brussels and Greece’s creditors.

The strategy is an outline of plans for all sectors of the economy and for social policy, and includes initiatives and actions to reach objectives in each area.

Tsipras stressed the social impact of policies in each area.

The text includes commitments to society as a whole, and in particular to the forces of labour and production, which will play a leading role in implementing the strategy.

Blaming ND for attack on Boutaris

Tsipras denounced the 19 May attack on Thessaloniki Mayor Yannis Boutaris, and blamed main opposition New Democracy’s tactics as a cause.

“The barbarous attack against the mayor of Thessaloniki by extreme right-wing thugs takes us back to the olden glory days of bloody super-patriotism andof the deep state,” he said.

“Who applauded the attack against Yannis Boutaris and prepared it with violent verbal attacks against him? Who unleashes charges every dead against supposed traitors? This is a cohesive, dark, and extreme segment of the main opposition, that finds expression in its top party organs,” he said.