ATHENS — The time has come to be rid of the old dogma that took advantage of humans and of nature, SYRIZA-Progressive Alliance leader Alexis Tsipras said on Friday, addressing the Economist's 25th Roundtable with the Government of Greece conference in Athens.

"Regardless of the purpose, the old has failed," he said, and has resulted in a world that is more unjust that ever before. This attitude of injustice "undermines social protection and public health infrastructure, endangering the lives of people," and lets "rich countries take all the vaccines and leaves poor nations with nothing." Rich countries pollute the world to the detriment of others, he said, destroying natural resources and burdening everyone's health. "This is a world that cannot move forward if it follows the same model," he asserted.

Tsipras called for change, saying that the path to a new common sense is opening up. "Citizens, states, international organizations and even businesses are trying to find a bare minimum level of agreement that reflects reality – the reality most of us are living today, and which we shall all experience – even the most privileged – if we don't change the present," Tsipras said.