Tsipras Tells Putin EU Sanctions on Russia Are Economic War
Source: Bloomberg
by Ilya ArkhipovEleni ChrepaHenry Meyer
April 8, 2015
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said they want to restore ties between their countries amid signs of a schism among some European Union states on whether to maintain sanctions against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine.
Greece is a sovereign country with unalienable rights, Tsipras said after meeting with Putin in Moscow on Wednesday. The Greek premier said he disagrees with the logic of sanctions, which he described as an economic war, and called for a new spring in ties between our countries.
Putin said that Greece could play an enhanced role as a European energy hub for Russian gas exports via a new pipeline through Turkey and that the two countries needed to discuss how to restore the pace of growth in trade after volumes fell by 40 percent last year.
EU sanctions along with falling oil prices have hurt Russias economy, which is sliding into its first recession in six years, while Greece is locked in talks with its euro partners on getting more bailout funds.
Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-04-08/putin-meets-tsipras-in-russia-as-eu-sanctions-in-focus
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)and politically, so this makes sense.
It was a mistake for Greece to join the European Union (and NATO) in the first place, so the sooner they go about biting the bullet and correcting that mistake, the better.
JackRiddler
(24,979 posts)This has nothing to do with culture, however. The Greek government is practicing intelligent politics. The other EU countries may well follow along, because it would be smart. NATO is obsolete and so is the Cold War you seem to so desire. Sanctions are an act of war in a world that has enough of these. Of course Greece belongs in the EU - it is leading the European Union, if the rest are willing to follow and do the right thing.
newthinking
(3,982 posts)completion (as much as anything, also resource grab, and hopes, etc).
The dollar is very weak underneath. And the "shadow economy" (the deep bank economy) is a ponsi scheme that could collapse (again) at any time.
It is almost laughable how everyone talks about Greece as being particularly irresponsible with spending. **Almost all** the western governments have huge deficits, and ***we** have the very worst: What did Greece do differently?
The money went to all the population, not just to the fraudster bankers. That is why Greece is being pummeled.
The US would be in far greater trouble if it could not print massive money and if it did not have the primary world currency in it's name.
THAT (Our currency) is what all this is really about. China is a serious threat (our own fault!) economically. Russia and China together have enormous resources and potential and we simply are not ready to see a competitive world economy.
Question is" Will we go so far as to a direct confrontation, WWIII, to defend our monopoly on the world's financial system?
And will our leadership recognize that all we are doing is accelerating the phenomenon by trying the same old techniques (instead of getting our own house in order so we can actually compete).
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)Comrade Grumpy
(13,184 posts)Implying that he is Putin's puppet. Greece has plenty of reasons to seek economic alternatives.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)F4lconF16
(3,747 posts)They don't have many options at this point. Russia is one of the few willing to "help" them. If we gave them better economic terms and they courted us instead, would you say that he's a puppet of Obama? Of course not.
Blue_Tires
(55,445 posts)If you did, much respect...
F4lconF16
(3,747 posts)Loved planes since as long as I can remember. I'm barely old enough to get into the military, let alone flight school hope to have a pilot's license someday.