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25/04/2025 | 16:41
‘What we see in Greece is what we want to see everywhere,’ IMF chief says [video]
“ What we see in Greece is what we want to see everywhere,” International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in the wake of a meeting on Thursday with Greek Economy and Finance Minister Kyriakos Pierrakakis, on the on the sidelines of the IMF Spring Meeting in Washington.
As she noted after the meeting, Greece has made remarkable progress in recent years, and is one of the best-performing economies in the European Union.
“ Growth is higher than the average in the EU. From deficits a few years ago, now we have a surplus, and very importantly, the country is moving [forward] with structural reforms that make it more competitive in a world of more frequent shocks,” she said.
Georgieva praised Greece for successfully deploying the “ power of digitalisation” to offer efficient and low-cost public services that operate transparently and eliminate the risks of corruption.
In a post on the platform X, the IMF chief spoke of an “excellent meeting” with the Greek economy and finance minister, adding: “Greece has made notable progress in bringing down public debt, thanks to continued fiscal prudence, while maintaining robust economic growth.”
Pierrakakis, on his part, highlighted the fact that Greece is now receiving praise from IMF officials, which contrasts with the years of the financial crisis when Greece was in the spotlight as a bad example.
“ We are at the headquarters of the IMF together with Managing Director Georgieva, 15 years after the start of an unprecedented adventure for the Greeks. The country has now overcome a gray decade. It has returned to positive growth rates, to extroversion, with hard work, with responsibility, with reforms, we came out of the margins and managed to gain the trust of investors and markets. IMF officials now speak in flattering words about Greece. A few years ago, the words were not the same. Here I am, representing a proud country, representing its citizens, who succeeded,” he noted.
Finally, Pierrakakis argued that Greece can now look to the future with more optimism while recognising that important steps still need to be taken in order to support citizens, gain opportunities and modernise structures.
Source: ANA – MPA
