The best way for someone to govern is to set an example.

I do not want Greece to become the negative paradigm for the others - i.e. "make sure you follow exactly what we tell you, otherwise you will be like Greece."

During the socialist period, the government became too big. That created a crowding-out effect in the private economy, and it gave everybody the need to pay more taxes in order to finance this big government. We are against big government. We want a smaller and more efficient government.

We believe that what they call "Grexit" [a Greek exit from the eurozone] is not an option for us.

We have decreased the salaries of everybody who partakes in politics, from the president to the prime minister to the MPs [members of Parliament]. We have cut expenditures that have to do with parliament. Everybody knows we are serious.

I have always believed that this idea of having a nation go through this very painful five or six years of continuous recession with high unemployment would be detrimental for the economy and the society.

I cannot allow a third party to decide on my country's future.