I think that the hardest thing at the moment is to regain your optimism. Europe owes everything to Greece. Democracy, Arts, Philosophy, Olympic Games. When I think of Europe, I think of Greece. During the last weeks, in France as well as all around the globe, we talk about the financial drama that lashes your country. We did a mistake. Greece is not alone. Greece belongs to a union. Europe’s indecisiveness, as far as the financial survival of your country is concerned, was impressive, negatively impressive. I don’t like Europe that keeps on thinking
“narrowly”. I cannot imagine a Europe which facing the Greek problem would choose any other way but the one of solidarity.

Greece, the words of important Greeks that I met studying philosophy, was a victory of thought against emptiness of chaos. I think that Greeks can accomplish more than those they may believe. Because Greeks have forgotten the magnificent Olympic Games that organized in 2004. They were among the best ever organized in history. Saying that, I would like to stress out that, what is actually missing from Greece now is the necessity for creativity. If you find strength for that, you will change your fate. Greeks have to be awakened. They have to fight for what they deserve collectively.

Extract from an interview of the famous French electronic music composer, Jean Michel Jarre, who is going to perform twice in Greece, in Athens and Thessaloniki, to Yiannis Panagopoulos, yiannisp@pegasus.gr,(“Ethnos”)

The new film by Jean-Luc Godard was screened in 63rd Cannes Festival while he was absent. He stated that he would not go, stressing out that “problems like the Greek one do not allow me to be with you in Cannes”. With an interview for a French magazine he said:

“We should thank Greece. It is western countries that owe to Greece. Philosophy, democracy, tragedy… We constantly forget the relation between tragedy and democracy. Without having Sophocles, Pericles would not exist. Without having Pericles, Sophocles would exist."

“The technical world, that we all live in, owes everything to Greece. Who discovered logical thinking? Aristotle… The whole world owes money nowadays to Greece. Greece could demand from the present world thousands of millions to be paid for the author’s royalties, and it would be reasonable to give them. On the instant!”

“They blame Greeks for being liars as well… That reminds me of an old ratiocination that I have been taught at school. Epaminondas is a liar or all Greeks are liars, thus Epaminondas is Greek. He have made no progress” he said.

“I think, among others, that Europeans who can afford spending money for vacations, this year, they should do it in Greece. If Greece did not exist, western civilization would not exist as well.”, multi-awarded writer said.

The Greek born, French filmmaker, Kostas Gavras, the director of movies like “Missing”, “Z” or the “Music Box”, announced a plea last Thursday, so as dignity of Greek citizens to be restored as well as all the accusations against them to be stopped, in other words stop blaming Greeks for being corrupted and indefinite in regards of the financial crisis that hit his country.

“I believe that we should help Greece. We have to help Greece,  otherwise which is the reason for the existence of Europe as a concept?” she said in an interview to Dimitris Doulgeridis.