The meeting between the representatives of farmers and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is in progress with strong presence of police.

The representatives of 39 roadblocks who finally attended the meeting passed strict controls before even reaching the Maximos Mansion. Moreover, vehicles of riot police block the area close to Maximos Mansion preventing anyone from passing by.

Representatives of the Panhellenic Union of Young Farmers and the Panhellenic Coordinating Committee of Farmers,Stockbreeders and Fishermen were not allowed to pass through because they were not on the list of those who were invited.

However, the Greek government denied that there were such cases adding that only one person is not allowed to pass ” who until recently was in Hellenic Sugar Industry and now is presenting himself as a syndicalist”.

Alexis Tsipras said that the farmers’ requests and proposals are a good basis for dialogue, adding that this dialogue should have started a long time ago.

Welcoming the farmers’ representatives, he said that the “farmers movement is now mature and can find ways to express itself with autonomy and independency in order for their struggle and their mobilisation to be fruitful.”

However, Mr. Tsipras added that “we cannot draft a policy for the productive restructuring of the country without taking into account your proposals and positions but at the same time you should take the overall problem of the country and the fiscal conditions under consideration”.