Europe

Greece: Tsipras marks 2 years as PM with no-austerity pledge

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Michalis Giannakos, president of the National Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees, tries to cross a police formation during a protest against government's policies on health issues in Athens, Wednesday, January 25, 2017. Greece's left-wing government says it is willing to extend an automatic austerity mechanism for one additional year in an effort to break the deadlock on current bailout negotiations. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) (The Associated Press)

Michalis Giannakos, president of the National Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees, tries to cross a police formation during a protest against government's policies on health issues in Athens, Wednesday, January 25, 2017. Greece's left-wing government says it is willing to extend an automatic austerity mechanism for one additional year in an effort to break the deadlock on current bailout negotiations. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) (The Associated Press)

Michalis Giannakos, president of the National Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees, tries to cross a police formation during a protest against government's policies on health issues in Athens, Wednesday, January 25, 2017. Greece's left-wing government says it is willing to extend an automatic austerity mechanism for one additional year in an effort to break the deadlock on current bailout negotiations. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis) (The Associated Press)

Greece's prime minister has marked two years in office, promising "not another euro" of new austerity measures by his left-wing government as talks with bailout lenders remain at an impasse over demands for deeper cuts.

Alexis Tsipras , 42, defeated established political parties in elections on Jan. 25, 2015 on a promise to scrap existing bailout agreements and austerity measures. But he eventually negotiated a third major international rescue deal after months of confrontation with lenders from eurozone countries and the International Monetary Fund.

In a newspaper interview published Wednesday, Tsipras urged European Union leaders to help Greece's economy recover from years of recession, arguing it would make the union stronger.

A small group of state hospital workers held a protest near his office in central Athens.