Spain rejects Greece accusation of anti-Athens 'axis'
The Spanish prime minister has rejected his Greek counterpart's claim that Spain and Portugal have formed "an axis of forces" to topple the government in Athens.
"We are not responsible for the frustration generated by the radical Greek left that promised the Greeks something it couldn't deliver on," Mariano Rajoy said on Sunday.
His remarks came in response to Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras who on Saturday accused Madrid and Lisbon of attempting to sabotage talks for the eurozone extending the Greek bailout program.
"Their plan was and is to wear down, topple or bring our government to unconditional surrender before our work begins to bear fruit and before the Greek example affects other countries," Tsipras said.
Rajoy said Tsipras's Syriza Party had tried to blame Spain and Portugal in a bid to cover up Greece’s financial difficulties, adding, "Looking for an external enemy is a way we've already seen many times in history.... That doesn't solve problems, it aggravates them."
"The only solution is to get serious," Rajoy added, addressing his Greek counterpart.
Madrid and Lisbon have both filed official protests against the Greek premier.
On February 20, a tentative agreement to extend Greece’s bailout program by four months was reached during preparatory talks between Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble, International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief, Christine Lagarde, and Eurogroup Chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem.
However, Greece was asked to submit a list of proposed reforms to the European Union in order for the agreement to take effect. The reforms were later approved by eurozone finance ministers.
The government of Tsipras, whose leftist Syriza party stormed to victory in January 25 elections, is still trying to renegotiate the terms of two bailout loans totaling €240 billion (USD 270 billion) it received in 2010 and 2014 in return for imposing harsh austerity measures.
During his electoral campaign, Tsipras vowed to reconsider the austerity measures that have caused mounting dissatisfaction in the country.
MFB/KA/SS
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