The leader of the main opposition Alexis Tsipras and Yannis Dragasakis met with the former governor of the Bank of Greece Giorgos Provopoulos on Tuesday evening to discuss the latest financial developments.
At the start of the meeting Mr. Tsipras complained to Mr. Provopoulos about comments recently made by his successor Yannis Stournaras, which were interpreted as a political intervention. SYRIZA has argued that he aligned himself with the government policy of fear mongering and is concerned that his statements may turn out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Mr. Provopoulos avoided commenting on his successor.
The discussion however quickly shifted focus to the financial crisis. Mr. Provopoulos warned Mr. Tsipras irrespective of which government is elected, there will be limited time to negotiate and that preparations and setting goals are necessary, in order to avoid any developments similar to those in Cyprus.
The former central banker urged Mr. Tsipras and Mr. Dragasakis to be careful in their statements during the election campaign to come, as extreme comments may cause nervousness abroad and domestically. He then explained to them in detail how he managed the crisis which began in 2009 and what measures he took to ensure liquidity in the Greek banking system.
Mr. Provopoulos also revealed that from the start of 2010 to June 2012 about 87 billion euros left the country, with about 15 billion returning since, meaning that the Greece economy has lost about 70 billion euros. He had no data regarding losses for the present period, but believed that there is no capital flight taking place. This however, he stressed, may change in case of dramatic developments, such as elections.
The two sides discussed other matters, which have not been revealed, but are said to have included developments in Italy, Portugal, France and other Eurozone members.
