EUROZONE-GREECE/FINMIN HANDOVER Bailout negotiating team member takes over Greek finance ministry

Record ID: 142206

  • Title: EUROZONE-GREECE/FINMIN HANDOVER Bailout negotiating team member takes over Greek finance ministry
  • Date: 28th August 2015
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (AUGUST 28, 2015) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VARIOUS EXTERIORS OF GREEK FINANCE MINISTRY FORMER GREEK FINANCE MINISTER, EUCLID TSAKALOTOS, ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE/ DEPUTY FINANCE MINISTER, TRYFON ALEXIADIS, BEHIND HIM TSAKALOTOS SITTING DOWN AND GREETING REPORTERS REPORTERS INTERIM GREEK FINANCE MINISTER, GEORGE CHOULIARAKIS, ARRIVING AND SITTING NEXT TO TSAKALOTOS CHOULIARAKIS AND TSAKALOTOS (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) FORMER GREEK FINANCE MINISTER, EUCLID TSAKALOTOS, SAYING: "This is a very emotional moment for me, as the curtain falls on the first (Greek) left-wing government. It is obvious to everybody that we did good things as well as things that we could have done better. I believe we gave it our best shot to show how a different kind of governance could work in our country." CHOULIARAKIS AND TSAKALOTOS (SOUNDBITE) (Greek) INTERIM GREEK FINANCE MINISTER, GEORGE CHOULIARAKIS, SAYING: "Our primary goal is to not lose precious time and for the banking system to be reinforced as soon as possible, and to consolidate trust even further in the Greek economy. We must consider that the Greek economy is in a recessionary phase, I hope it is short-term, that it won't last too long and also I hope that capital controls are lifted as soon as possible." TSAKALOTOS AND CHOULIARAKIS EMBRACING AND SHAKING HANDS TSAKALOTOS LEAVING CHOULIARAKIS SPEAKING WITH ALEXIADIS CHOULIARAKIS AND ALEXIADIS LEAVING
  • Embargoed: 12th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA45ZBYBG9ORSS1BVC5IZ0BDESR
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Former Greek finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos said he felt moved while handing over control on Friday (August 28) of his ministry to George Chouliarakis, a member of Greece's bailout negotiating team under the short-lived anti-bailout coalition.
    An ally of the former deputy Prime Minister Yannis Dragasakis, Chouliarakis took a decisive role in the talks in the summer and his appointment is likely to be seen as positive for keeping the country's bailout programme on track.
    Tsakalotos said he felt emotional with the end of his tenure.
    "This is a very emotional moment for me, as the curtain falls on the first (Greek) left-wing government. It is obvious to everybody that we did good things as well as things that we could have done better. I believe we gave it our best shot to show how a different kind of governance could work in our country," said Tsakalotos during the handover ceremony.
    Chouliarakis said his main goal for his few weeks as finance minister was to help speed up the lifting of capital controls.
    "Our primary goal is to not lose precious time and for the banking system to be reinforced as soon as possible, and to consolidate trust even further in the Greek economy. We must consider that the Greek economy is in a recessionary phase, I hope it is short-term, that it won't last too long and also I hope that capital controls are lifted as soon as possible."
    Greece's caretaker government, led by Supreme Court judge Vassiliki Thanou, was sworn in earlier on Friday, comprising both technocrats and political figures.
    Former Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras abruptly resigned last week days after clinching an 86 billion euro ($97.2 billion) bailout package from European and International Monetary Fund lenders, hoping to crush a rebellion by far-left lawmakers and tighten his grip on power on elections set for September 20.
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