Greece begs Germany’s Merkel not to throw them ‘overboard,’ while it makes deals with Russia
Greece’s Alexis Tsipras
Greece is trying to make a deal with the Europeans on its debt situation, while also making economic deals with Russia:
June 21, 2015
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will face a tough choice on Monday when she will meet with Greece’s representatives and its key EU creditors in Brussels to agree debt relief terms, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said in an article published Sunday in Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Athens needs to negotiate a reforms deal with its money lenders from Europe and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
In the article, the Greek finance minister warned Merkel against listening to “sirens in her government that are calling on her to throw the Greek government overboard.” He urged her to work closer with Athens that wanted to be back on track toward recovery. “This choice, I’m afraid, is hers to make,” Varoufakis said.
He added however that his left-wing government would decline EU’s financial lifeline and put through a package of profound economic reforms like an “automatic debt brake” and debt swaps inside the troika of international lenders – the IMF, the European Central Bank (ECB) and the 19-nation Eurogroup. http://sputniknews.com/business/20150621/1023661012.html#ixzz3dhwS03yl
June 21, 2015
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras presented new proposals on a “mutually beneficial deal” to end his country’s debt crisis in a telephone call with European leaders today, his office said.
The proposals were outlined by Mr Tsipras to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, on the eve of a crucial eurozone summit.
They were aimed at reaching a “definitive solution” to the standoff between Athens and its creditors, the Greek statement said.
The statement did not give details of the proposals. http://www.rte.ie/news/2015/0621/709569-greece/
June 21, 2015
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A day ahead of a crucial emergency eurozone summit, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has presented a new proposal in calls to French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
A government source close to the talks says Tsipras “presented to the three leaders Greece’s proposal for a mutually beneficial agreement, which will provide a permanent solution and not just postpone tackling the problem.” The source is not authorized to be named in the media.
Tsipras has been meeting with his senior ministers all day and will leave for Brussels later Sunday. http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/Greece-presents-new-financial-proposals-to-6340182.php
June 19, 2015
Greece couldn’t get a debt deal with Europe. So it went to Russia and signed a controversial gas deal instead!
There’s still time for Greece to avoid the financial abyss — European leaders meet again Monday — but it wants to show it has other options.
Officials agreed Friday to build a pipeline that would bring Russian gas through Greece and into western Europe, Russian state media reported.Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who was in St. Petersburg Friday, said, “I’m here because I believe that the role of a country that wants to explore its potential to succeed, [should] have a multi-dimensional policy in its relations with countries.”
Russian energy minister Alexander Novak said the gas deal took the relationship between the two countries to “a new level.”
Russia and Greece already share deep ties from culture and the Orthodox Church, to commerce. Russian tourists visit Greece in large numbers every year.
But they’ve been drawing even closer together since Greeks voted left-wing Syriza into power earlier this year.
The gas agreement is likely to irritate other European Union countries, who have been restricting trade with Russia over the Ukraine crisis and are trying to reduce their dependence on Russian gas. http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/19/news/greece-russia-gas-deal/
June 19, 2015
Russia said Friday it would consider giving financial aid to Greece as the cash-strapped nation runs out of time to resolve its long-running debt crisis and avert an exit from the eurozone.
“We will support any solution on regulating the Greek debt crisis that is suggested by Greece and our European partners,” Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich said, according to the state-run TASS news agency. “The most important things for us are investment projects and trade with Greece. If financial support is required, we will consider this question.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s office also said Friday that Russia would consider giving loans to Greece, adding such aid should be considered par for the course for countries that are partners. Putin’s office stressed Greece has not yet formally asked for any financial assistance from Moscow.
The development came as Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras met Friday with Putin in St. Petersburg, where the Russian leader was hosting an annual investment forum. However, Russian financial aid for Greece was not discussed between the two, Putin’s spokesman said later Friday.
Speaking earlier at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Tsipras said that Russia’s role in the world was expanding and that Europe was misguided to think of itself as being at the center of the world.
“The world is different from what it used to be in the past,” Tsipras said. “We, in Europe, have for long had an illusion that we are the hub of the universe in the literal sense; we considered ourselves to be the world center and continued to see and count exclusively on our nearest immediate entourage.”
As the two leaders met, Greece and Russia announced a deal to build a gas pipeline that would enable Russian gas to reach Europe via Turkey. The project, worth hundreds of millions of dollars, is scheduled to be completed in 2019. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/06/19/greek-debt-crisis/28973733/
While Europe is not the ‘hub of the universe,’ the Bible does teach that it will become the power that will make the world wealthy (Revelation 18), and other parts of the Bible shows that this wealth includes being involved with trade with Russia (Ezekiel 27:13-14; see also Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future).
As far as what will happen with the current crisis, months ago I had a post titled Merkel says no debt forgiveness for Greece: What will happen? Here is some of what I wrote back then:
So what is next?
The economic and political reality is that Greece is not is a position to pay the debt back as agreed. Germany is likely to have to either renegotiate or at least accept delays in payment from Greece.
And that has now happened. Expect more negotiations with Greece. Also, there will be changes in Europe.
Europe wants Greece and the government of Greece does want to be part of Europe. Even though there are issues between both sides.
As far as Russia goes, it really wants to make deals with the Europeans. Notice something from Dr Alexander Yakovenko, Russia’s Ambassador to the UK:
June 21, 2015
As Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Italian daily Il Corriere della Sera, we have always proposed a serious relationship to Europe. For a long time we have been talking about the need to deepen Russia-EU ties. It seems today nobody objects.
In practice, we face many obstacles created by our European partners and EU bureaucracy. For us it is absolutely clear that the relationship should be built on a long-term basis, not in an atmosphere of confrontation, but in a spirit of mutually beneficial cooperation.
Being the largest geopolitical entities on the European continent, the Russian Federation and the European Union are naturally interdependent in many ways, linked by their common civilizational roots, culture, history and future. Russia and the EU are two major political and economic power centers on the continent. The development of a strategic partnership with the EU has always been one of Russia’s foreign policy priorities.
It’s true that Russia and the EU now have different positions on some international issues, including the Ukrainian crisis. But that does not mean that the sides should limit their political dialogue, diplomatic contacts and practical cooperation.
We believe that the “point of no return” has not been passed yet and will never be, and we are ready to work together with the EU and all of its member states on topical international issues, provided that the principles of equality, respect for each other’s interests and truly collective action are observed.
Traditionally, the EU has been our main economic partner. Bilateral trade exceeds €300 billion a year. Russia is the third biggest trading partner of the EU. The EU is the largest consumer of our energy exports. Russia firmly holds the position of EU’s No. 1 supplier of natural gas, satisfying one-quarter of the EU’s overall demand. It also remains the second most important exporter of crude oil and oil products to Europe. European businesses are broadly represented virtually in all areas of Russian economy. …
We believe that the “point of no return” has not been passed yet and will never be, and we are ready to work together with the EU and all of its member states on topical international issues, provided that the principles of equality, respect for each other’s interests and truly collective action are observed.
Traditionally, the EU has been our main economic partner. Bilateral trade exceeds €300 billion a year. Russia is the third biggest trading partner of the EU. The EU is the largest consumer of our energy exports. Russia firmly holds the position of EU’s No. 1 supplier of natural gas, satisfying one-quarter of the EU’s overall demand. It also remains the second most important exporter of crude oil and oil products to Europe. European businesses are broadly represented virtually in all areas of Russian economy. …
Moscow is ready for an even closer cooperation with Brussels and other European capitals. This is why Russia strongly supports eventual economic integration between the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and the EU. That will be an integration of the two blocs’ integration processes. We believe that there are no contradictions between the two models of cooperation, since both of them are based on similar principles and norms, including those of the WTO. The two unions could effectively complement each other. Direct dialogue and practical cooperation between the EEU and the EU would contribute to the resolution of many urgent global and regional issues. (Yakovenko A. Supporting closer ties between the EU and Eurasian Economic Union. Russian Times. June 21, 2015. http://rt.com/op-edge/268594-eu-economy-ties-putin/)
The Russians clearly want to cooperate with the Europeans. And yes, this is partially because the Russians would like USA influence reduced–and Europe will do that more than most Russians probably think is possible (cf. Daniel 11:39; Revelation 13:3-4).
The Bible tells of a rise of a European power composed of strong and weak parts that do not get along particularly well:
41 Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. 42 And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. 43 As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. (Daniel 2:41-43)
The rising European Union certain is a mixture like that and some nations do not adhere well with other ones within it.
For reasons of history and geography, Greece is wanted by the European Union. Greece is a nation that would be expected to be part of the final European Beast power, hence, although there will likely be problems with Greece, it would seem to have to align with Europe.
The Bible also shows that there will be several reorganizations in Europe, and that they will lead to a dictatorship:
12 “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings who have received no kingdom as yet, but they receive authority for one hour as kings with the beast. 13 These are of one mind, and they will give their power and authority to the beast. (Revelation 17:12-13)
Greece is known as ‘the cradle of democracy.’ Europe pays a certain lip-service to the idea of democracy. But the biblical reality is that a dictatorship will ultimately rule Europe. A dictatorship that will include being over Greece.
Some items of possibly related interest may include:
Must the Ten Kings of Revelation 17:12 Rule over Ten Currently Existing Nations? Some claim that these passages refer to a gathering of 10 currently existing nations together, while one group teaches that this is referring to 11 nations getting together. Is that what Revelation 17:12-13 refers to? The ramifications of misunderstanding this are enormous. A related sermon is titled Ten Kings of Revelation and the Great Tribulation.
Germany’s Assyrian Roots Throughout History Are the Germanic peoples descended from Asshur of the Bible? Have there been real Christians in Germanic history? What about the “Holy Roman Empire”? There is also a You-Tube video sermon on this titled Germany’s Biblical Origins.
Germany in Biblical and Catholic Prophecy Does Assyria in the Bible equate to an end time power inhabiting the area of the old Roman Empire? What does prophecy say Germany will do and what does it say will happen to most of the German people?
Europa, the Beast, and Revelation Where did Europe get its name? What might Europe have to do with the Book of Revelation? What about “the Beast”? Is an emerging European power “the daughter of Babylon”? What is ahead for Europe? Here is a link to a video titled: Can You Prove that the Beast to Come is European?
European Technology and the Beast of Revelation Will the coming European Beast power would use and develop technology that will result in the taking over of the USA and its Anglo-Saxon allies? Is this possible? What does the Bible teach? Here is a related YouTube video: Military Technology and the Beast of Revelation.
Who is the King of the North? Is there one? Do biblical and Roman Catholic prophecies for the Great Monarch point to the same leader? Should he be followed? Who will be the King of the North discussed in Daniel 11? Is a nuclear attack prophesied to happen to the English-speaking peoples of the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand? When do the 1335 days, 1290 days, and 1260 days (the time, times, and half a time) of Daniel 12 begin? When does the Bible show that economic collapse will affect the United States? In the Spanish language check out ¿Quién es el Rey del Norte? Here is a link to a video titled: The Future King of the North.
Might German Baron Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg become the King of the North? Could He Become “the Beast”? What makes the German Defense Minister a candidate?
The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben: France in Prophecy? What is the origin of this in France? What is prophesied to happen to them? A two-part sermon related to history and prophecy is available online: The ‘Lost Tribe’ of Reuben and France and Prophecy.
Ten clues tying Belgium and Luxembourg with the tribe of Asher Who did some in Belgium and Luxembourg descend from?
Ten clues tying Zebulun with the Dutch Who did some in the Netherlands descend from?
Russia and Ukraine: Their Origins and Prophesied Future Russia in prophecy. Where do the Russians come from? What about those in the Ukraine? What is prophesied for Russia and its allies? What will they do to the Europeans that supported the Beast in the end? There is also a video sermon available: Russia in the Bible and in Prophecy and a video sermonette available: Ukraine in Prophecy?
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