Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 June 2015
151. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Taoiseach if the Greek Prime Minister, Mr. Alexis Tsipras, has been in contact with him since 22 June 2015 on the Eurogroup's talks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26428/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing the Euro Summit meeting on 22 June, I met with Prime Minister Tsipras again last week at the meeting of the European Council on 25 and 26 June. Although it was not formally on our agenda, the European Council addressed the situation in Greece in some detail. During that meeting, I joined with other Heads of State and Government in urging Prime Minister Tsipras to make every effort to conclude an agreement and to bring an end to the instability which is first and foremost hurting the Greek people. I reiterated these points in informal contacts with Prime Minister Tsipras in the margins of the European Council.
At the time of the European Council meeting, it was widely expected that enough common ground would be found between the proposals from the institutions and from the Greek authorities to ultimately bridge the gap and reach an agreement acceptable to all. The Eurogroup meeting scheduled for Saturday, 27 June stood ready to take forward negotiations among Finance Ministers. However, that morning, we learned, to our disappointment, that the Greek Government had unilaterally decided to withdraw from negotiations. The Greek people will now be asked to accept or reject the latest compromise proposals prepared by the institutions, in a referendum to take place on Sunday, 5 July.
In addition to our contacts last week, I received a letter from Prime Minister Tsipras on 28 June requesting that the Irish Government support a request for an extension of the Greek EFSF financial assistance arrangement for a period of one month beyond the current date of termination, which is today, 30 June. I understand that similar letters were received by my counterparts in all euro area Member States.
I have since responded to Prime Minister Tsipras pointing out that, while it had been hoped that agreement could have been achieved at the Eurogroup meeting on 27 June, the decision by the Greek government to break off the negotiations made this impossible.
I also underlined that Ireland, having ourselves experienced a very difficult economic period and worked our way through a programme of assistance, has great sympathy for Greece and its people. Furthermore, I reaffirmed that we will continue to support the objective of a sustainable and mutually beneficial agreement, acceptable to all concerned, which will return Greece to growth within the euro area.
