Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (R) shakes hands with Irish President Michael Higgins during their meeting in Athens, Greece, on Feb. 22, 2018. Greek leaders and visiting Irish President Michael Higgins reiterated on Thursday in Athens the need to end austerity and replace it with social cohesion policies to combat populism and build a better EU. (Xinhua/Marios Lolos)

by Maria Spiliopoulou

ATHENS, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Greek leaders and visiting Irish President Michael Higgins reiterated on Thursday in Athens the need to end austerity and replace it with social cohesion policies to combat populism and build a better EU.

"Populism forces emerge in Europe threatening the European edifice. This is happening because we unfortunately followed- and I hope this will change- austerity policies which led to a dead end widening inequalities," Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said welcoming his counterpart at the Presidential mansion.

"It is our duty to change these policies, to support the social welfare state, to eliminate phenomena of Nazism and populism which threaten Europe. We must defend the EU," the Greek leader stressed in statements broadcast on Greek national broadcaster ERT.

"Social cohesion, social Europe must be placed at the top of the agenda we all now share on the future of the Union, social cohesion within the countries and social cohesion between the countries of the union," Higgins said on his part.

"There has been too much suffering and the Union is a union of the peoples of Europe if it is to be at its best," the Irish president added.

The Irish leader's official visit to Greece will end on Friday with a visit to the Acropolis and a ceremony at the University of Athens where Higgins will be awarded the title of Professor Emeritus at the Faculty of English Literature.