As the marathon EU Summit concluded in Brussels, putting in place the latest deal to fix the eurozone’s debt crisis, the Consulate General of Greece in Melbourne held a rare briefing for media.
The briefing, hosted by the Consul General Greece in Melbourne, Mrs Eleni Lianidou, was arranged to coincide with the announcement of the summit’s recommendations, and to discuss representation of the crisis by the Australian media.
Mrs Lianidou told Neos Kosmos that the briefing was called to help explain details of the summit’s arrangements, and measures that continue to be taken in Greece and Europe to provide solutions to the crisis. The Consul General said that the Consulate was raising the issue of the media’s representation of the crisis, to encourage “a clearer, more detailed view”.
“With the results of the summit Greeks can now be a little more positive – stay on track and not loose faith,” said Mrs Lianidou.
In a press release distributed at the briefing, the Consulate stated: “Greece has been repeatedly a victim of unprecedented negative publicity, misleading articles and challenging remarks, that require attention.”
“When you have bad news it’s always better for newspapers,” said Mrs Lianidou, “but I believe if we have a more balanced view of what is going on, then things are better for everyone. If this negative image of Greece is somehow diminished, then we can hope for positive things.”
In response to the summit’s results, the Consul General said: “It’s a good result and gives the Greek people some breathing space, but we still have a long way to go,” adding that the summit reaffirmed that “Greece is part of the European family and it’s not standing alone.”
“The decision of the 50 per cent cut [private banks holding Greek debt will accept a write-off of 50% of their returns] will take a lot of the burden off the shoulders of the Greek people. It’s a good result and gives the Greek people some breathing space, but we still have a long way to go. There is no future without hard work and patience.”
