A day after being sworn in as Greece’s seventh president, Prokopis Pavlopoulos told journalists that he will make an effort to create greater unity between Greece’s political parties in an attempt to get Greeks back on their feet.

“It is a common effort,” he said.

“There may be different views about how this could be achieved but the goal is the same. We should not forget this.”

When asked about whether he planned to call a meeting of party leaders, Pavlopoulos underlined that such a request must come from Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.

“If called upon, I will fulfill my role,” he said.

He also pledged to combat poverty and unemployment in the crisis-hit country in a battle “for Europe itself.”

“We must all contribute to the fight against the scourges of poverty and unemployment,” Pavlopoulos said.

A staunch pro-European, Pavlopoulos was elected to a five-year term by a wide parliamentary majority last month.

The 64-year-old is a professor of constitutional law and former conservative minister.

Source: Kathimerini