Samaras: Zero tolerance to neo-nazism

Prime Minister Antonis Samaras on Tuesday evening addressed a Greece-Israel business forum in Jerusalem, during which he said his government would show “zero tolerance to neo-nazism. We shall eliminate the (far-right) Golden Dawn (Chryssi Avghi) party from the country’s political life.”

The Greek premier characterized a “neo-nazi party” as “a shame for any country,” especially for Greece which lost 10 pct of its population during the WWII German occupation.

“Following some bloody incidents of violence, we are in the process of eradicating Golden Dawn from our political life! Many leading members of this party have been brought to Justice. Their top leaders are already in jail!  And recent polls indicated dramatic fall in their influence. We have been decisive and effective,” he said.

Samaras further spoke about the long-term strategic ties being built by Greece and Israel in recent years, describing this relationship as being based on common values, the two countries’ long history and to both being a stability factor in the region. The Greek premier made special reference to the major energy resources in both countries, which as he said, can be the basis for joint exploitation in production and transportation.

The Greek premier reminded that in the early 90's Greece made a bold step recognizing 'de jure' Israel when he was foreign minister.

He called on Israeli businessmen to invest in Greece stressing that the investment climate is now changing and the country is becoming friendly to entrepreneurship, as shown by the fact that some large companies -from IBM to the Nestle- are active in Greece.

Addressing the same event, government vice president and Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos also invited Israeli entrepreneurs to “seize the opportunity and invest in Greece."
Venizelos further referred to the improvement of the fundamentals of Greece’s economy, noting that it the country has achieved the biggest fiscal consolidation in Europe and has made significant structural changes. He stressed that relations between Greece and Israel are not just short-term but based on historical facts and common values.

The forum was also addressed by Israel’s Energy Minister Silvan Shalom, who made extensive reference to and congratulated the Greek government for its initiatives regarding the breaking up the Golden Dawn. He also called on Israeli entrepreneurs to invest in Greece.