Greece, Germany turn page as Merkel pays final visit
Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a press conference at the EU summit on October 22nd. AFP
Greece and Germany will bring down the curtain on a frequently difficult chapter in relations when Angela Merkel embarks on her final visit to Athens as chancellor today.German financial rectitude never sat well with Greeks, who made both Merkel her then-finance, minister Wolfgang Schedule the target of their anger as the country was buffeted by the financial crisis post-2008 that led the European Union to impose tough austerity measures. "One of the most hated women in Greece" was how German tabloid Bild described Merkel as she faced angry protests on a visit to Athens in 2012.
Looking back in September, she conceded that "the most difficult moment of my term was when I asked for so much from Greece." Starting in 2010, Merkel began to urge Greece's then Socialist prime minister, George Papandreou, to implement tough austerity measures to cut burgeoning public deficits.
The Greek government agreed to the painful budget cuts and tax increases in return for €300 billion (now RM1.45 trillion) in international bailout funds. Pensions were slashed and the minimum monthly wage fell to less than 600 Euros and a wave of privatizations was set in motion.In addition, staffing levels in public services and hospitals were reduced and there were shortages of medicines and other material.
At the height of the crisis in 2012, Merkel faced protesters brandishing banners with Nazi swastikas and depictions of her as a Hitler caricature.After leftist radical Alexis Tsipras was elected prime minister in January 2015, tensions became almost palpable.Months before he became leader, Tsipras had memorably told Merkel to "go back".
