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I would say we are a friend in need and I am sure that the Greek people would very much welcome the choice of the British people to come and enjoy Greece, first of all, but also that would be a sign of support.

George Papandreou

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George Papandreou
Age: 72
Born: 1952
Born: June 16
Diplomat
Former Prime Minister Of Greece
Politician
Sociologist
St Paul
Minnesota
George Andreas Papandreou
Would
Enjoy
Welcome
People
Also
Sign
Firsts
British
Come
Choice
Need
Friend
First
Support
Needs
Choices
Greece
Much
Sure
Greek

More quotes by George Papandreou

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There are certain moments in the history of a nation when the choices made define the decades to come.
George Papandreou
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My hope is that we will turn Greece into maybe the most transparent country in the world with everything on the web.
George Papandreou
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The more there is a European solution to a theoretical, but possible, problem in the markets, the less we will have to talk about an I.M.F. solution.
George Papandreou
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Despite the deep reforms we are making, traders and speculators have forced interest rates on Greek bonds to record highs.
George Papandreou
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But sovereign debt is a wider question not only in Europe but across the globe. While every country is a unique case, I think it's not an issue of countries acting on their own. We need a more coordinated strategy not only in Europe but around the world.
George Papandreou
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I will always be upfront with the Greek people, so we can solve the country's problems together.
George Papandreou
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We had about 60 regions in Greece and now there are only 13. It'd be like cutting down 50 states to 13 and making it more efficient.
George Papandreou
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How can a parliamentarian or a leader in a country say, on the one hand, that we're going to support Greece but at the same time say that Greeks are lazy?
George Papandreou
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We have made major reforms in Greece. When I took over after a landslide victory we had a mandate for change and I knew my major focus would be re-organizing the state.
George Papandreou
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The structures in Europe in a globalising economy need to be modernised, need to be more integrated, need to be stronger.
George Papandreou
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Greece has great strengths, but much of this potential has been wasted. That's because of a wider political system, but also because of a lack of an institutional framework.
George Papandreou
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This idea that you're a successful tough guy if you evade taxes and deceive the state has got to change.
George Papandreou
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If Greece had gone through a very normal political life, I may have not been in politics. But just the fact that I lived through huge upheavals and very difficult struggles and polarization and the barbarism of dictatorships - that made me feel that we had to change this country.
George Papandreou
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Countries are not like financial markets. Social change cannot be executed as swiftly as credit-default swaps. You cannot sell short on social commitments and practical responsibilities.
George Papandreou
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I would like to see Greece as a case study, an opportunity for Europe to strengthen its coordination of fiscal policy.
George Papandreou
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I have been supporting the European Union, but we are still a work in progress. We have to become more of a United States of Europe. We should talk about electing a president of the E.U., rather than having one selected from the heads of government.
George Papandreou
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I have always said I will be in politics to serve as best as I can and it will take me wherever it will take me.
George Papandreou
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When I was growing up in the United States and Sweden, I never thought about becoming a politician.
George Papandreou
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The Marshall Plan was after destruction, and the U.S. came to our help and obviously this was very, very important for the future of Europe. I think now we have all the capabilities of doing it on our own and, in a sense, we have to.
George Papandreou
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Politics also means educating people. It's important to speak openly with our fellow Greeks, to tell them what our problems are and that we have to change something.
George Papandreou