“The new government is committed to implementing reforms needed by Greece” Alexis Tsipras said during joint statemens with OECD chief Angel Gurria.

“Anything that previous governments did not dare to do, we can, because we have made commitments and we have no strings attached. We want to work closely with the OECD in order to implement reforms with a clear social agenda”, Tsipras underlined.

He stated that “the reforms we want will not be done according to previous policies, but based on the people’s mandate”, and added that he will be travelling to Paris to seal a cooperation with the OECD. He also underlined, however, that common goals have been found, saying that “we can work closely in order to produce results as soon as possible”.

On his part, Gurria stated that he is visiting Athens to cooperate with Greece and aid the country. He also added that the benefits of development must benefit the majority and not the minority of the rich.

He continued by stating that “We did not come here to tell you what to do. The Greek people gave you their vote. We are here to tell you what other countries are doing. To see how these steps will help the Greek people and the problems they share with so many other peoples across the globe. You know what to do. We will only offer tools to fight corruption”.

He also underlined that: “We will not partake in the transitional program. We are here to support a reform program and not to hand out mandates. The choice is up to the Greek government and it will commit to whatever it wants. What we are saying here is that we are standing on the side of the Greek government, supporting it, and not assuming any secondary, different roles”.