The Greek populace has landed Alexis Tsipras back in the Prime Minister’s office but things aren’t going to return to normal till the country has taken control of past debts that have placed it in jeopardy to begin with.
With that in mind and with little assistance forthcoming from his Eurozone partners, Tsipras has turned westward and has taken his case to the United States where he focused his visit on two key issues—assistance in dealing with the refugee crisis and debt relief.
Greece would like to implement debt-relief negotiations by year’s end, but the leaders in Europe are hedging their bets in the matter. The International Monetary Fund, which is pressuring Athens for immediate debt consolidation does not want to take the lead against the Eurozone on how the debt restructuring is implemented. So Greece is looking to the U.S. for help.
Meeting with Kerry
Tsipras first met with Secretary of State John Kerry where he discussed the migrant situation and asked Washington to ask Turkey to be more cooperative regarding the flow of refugees reaching the eastern Aegean islands.
He took his case to the U.N. General Assembly on Sunday where he told his listeners, "We cannot speak effectively for aid to developing countries, or loans in developed countries, unless we address the debt issue as an international challenge at the heart of our global financial system."
Washington has made it clear in the past that the Eurozone must take the lead in accepting further reduction of Greek debt and has encouraged the IMF to be vocal about debt relief. Still, Tzipras’ visit to the U.S. and his presentation at the U.N. has put the country back in the headlines and has shown his initiative in seeking international community support for his country.