Greek conservative Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and his government’s Deputy Prime Minister Evangelos Venizelos delivered speeches at the “Athens Forum 2014: Democracy under Pressure” event on Monday.

The prime minister criticized the main opposition Coalition of the Left SYRIZA party in his speech without naming it. He warned that “populism and extremism missed the opportunity to gain strength during the crisis. They will subside now that we are leaving the crisis.” He stated that the country has withstood “populism and extremism” despite radical reforms and went on to list the country’s achievements over the last two years with the primary surplus being achieved for the second consecutive year.

On his part, Mr. Venizelos said that there is national dissension as a result of the opposition party’s role. For his full speech CLICK HERE.