Luxembourg, 09/10/2012 (Agence Europe) - The chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, said on Tuesday 9 October 2012 during a state visit to Athens under high security that she wanted Greece to remain in the eurozone. She said that coming to the country was an excellent way to understand the situation on the ground, pointing out the importance for Greece of continuing its work, calling for growth stimulus to be added to the savings and social sacrifices being made in the country's sixth consecutive year of recession. Merkel then repeated that she wants Greece to remain in the euro.
The Greek prime minister, Antonis Samaras, said: 'I told Merkel that the Greek people are bleeding this moment, but that I am sticking to the plan. We don't ask for favours. I pledge to fulfil its obligations to overcome the debt crisis. Merkel's visit breaks an isolation that Greece was experiencing up until this moment. Everyone who bet that Greece will go down will lose their bet.'
Some 250,000 lined the streets of Athens in protest at the 'diktat' of austerity measures imposed by Greece's international lenders, including Germany. More than 7,000 police officers were deployed around the capital to avert trouble. (EL and MB/transl.fl)