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" The real problem in Greece is not cutting taxes, it's making sure that we don't have tax evasion. "

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

" First of all, Greece won't go down. We're talking about a country that is capable of making change. Europe will not allow the destabilization of the 27-country euro zone. But if there were no action, then markets would start becoming jittery about other countries - and not only Spain and Portugal, but other countries in the European Union. "

George Papandreou

" Markets themselves are looking for stability, and I think we have underestimated the capacity of Europe... to actually create a more stable framework for the whole issue of debt management, bonds, and so on. "

George Papandreou

" The structures in Europe in a globalising economy need to be modernised, need to be more integrated, need to be stronger. "

George Papandreou

" As long as I feel I am doing what I think is right and just for my country, for the Greek people, that is enough for me. Saving Greece from this crisis was the first thing on the agenda. We are now on a much more normalised road. "

George Papandreou

" 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

" 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

" You can theorise about the options you have but in reality they are very specific. "

George Papandreou

" If we were going to default, we would have decided that many months ago. It would be wrong for the Greek economy, it would be wrong for the European economy, it would make things worse in the end. That's why we're taking the pain and making these structural reforms, and we're on target. "

George Papandreou

" 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

" If you put all the European countries together, we are the biggest economy in the world. "

George Papandreou

" We in Europe have great capacities. "

George Papandreou

" We have a rise of extremism because we need to give a sense that we are targeting some of the deeper problems in Greece, the injustices. "

George Papandreou

" The fact that we're going through a crisis is an opportunity for Europe to be more coordinated and more integrated. We're actually talking about a European Monetary Fund or euro bonds, about guarantees for countries, about economic governance in the European Union. That shows the strength of Europe. "

George Papandreou

" Europe has a lot of strength. We need to pool that strength, and I am very much in favour of that - more of a deeper political union. "

George Papandreou

" At times of distress, we all like to recall the advice of fathers and mothers. The best advice my father gave me was to keep faith and deep confidence in the potential of the Greek people; nurture the belief that they can do things. "

George Papandreou

" 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

" There is this concept of politics as a dirty game. "

George Papandreou

" 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

" The unemployed in Greece can get a voucher and choose a training program somewhere in Europe to be retrained during this crisis and when this crisis is over, we make sure that that person hasn't fallen off the cliff and can come back into the labor market with new skills to find a job. "

George Papandreou

" Every leader wants to put his or her imprint on the work that they do, and grow up in specific eras. "

George Papandreou

" Today I want to send a message of optismism to all Greeks. Our road, our path, will be more stabilised. Our country will be in a better situation. We will be stronger. "

George Papandreou

" We Greeks want change. We know there are problems in our system. We have great potential but we need to manage our country well. Now that hasn't been done over the last decades. And that is, of course, what we are paying for. "

George Papandreou

" People would say you look weak if you're not cursing the opposition and driving around in a big black car while always wearing a tie. Above all, to be 'strong' you're always supposed to be giving orders. "

George Papandreou

" Previous governments, particularly the one before I took over, mismanaged the economy quite badly. "

George Papandreou

" We stand united, facing the big responsibility to change our country into a nation of justice, solidarity, humanity and green development. "

George Papandreou

" Very often, people will come out and say, 'Greeks aren't doing things, Greeks aren't making changes, there's no reform,' That is hogwash. We have made a huge effort. The Greek people have made a huge effort. "

George Papandreou

" 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

" I think there is a heritage which I'm proud of, which is a fight for democracy, a fight for social justice, a fight for freedom. My grandfather went to jail or exile six times in his life, fighting for his principles for democracy, or for his country. And my father twice. "

George Papandreou

" Greece's history in the drachma was an up-and-down history, a roller coaster. "

George Papandreou