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Greek Prince: Europe needs to give us breathing space
The Crown Prince of Greece has thrown his support behind the country's radical left government, but said he hopes the Greek people will vote "yes" in favor of creditor proposals in this weekend's referendum.
Prince Pavlos, the son of the former king of Greece, said the ruling Syriza party -- which has been wrangling with international lenders for five months -- had come to "fight Greece's corner."
Read More Blame game: Greece in deadlock ahead of vote
"It is not all the fault with Greece here. Europe has put us in a very difficult position - people have been suffering dramatically," HRH Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece told CNBC Thursday.
Euro zone finance minister have called off further talks with Greece until the vote on Sunday, but the prince said he hoped negotiations would continue. The country and its lenders disagree on what reforms should be implemented in exchange for further financial aid.
Read More Greek letter: Are the concessions enough?
"Europe has always been there to negotiate; I think they also need to give us breathing space," Prince Pavlos added, although he said he had not been part of the discussions.
"I think they have made that mistake over the last few months as far as I can tell. They have not given us any room for negotiating.
He said that Greece's previous governments had not been perfect, but had worked towards progress.
"This government (Syriza) came in to fight our corner, to get a better result so that we would stay within Europe," he said.
HRH Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece's father, King Constantine II, the was king of Greece before fleeing to Rome in the 1960s after a military coup.
Greece voted for a republican constitution over the monarchy in 1974, meaning that his father's reign came to an end, but as a member of the Greek royal family, Pavlos retains his title.
The country effectively defaulted this week on a major payment to one of its lenders, the IMF, and its domestic financial system is under severe pressure, with capital controls imposed in order to prevent bank runs.
Greeks must vote "yes" or "no" in the referendum, to either support or reject the reforms suggested by creditors last week.
Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is pushing for a "no" vote, but Prince Pavlos said he was hoping for the opposite result.
"I would hope that we could still stay in the game, say 'yes' and still carry on the negotiating going forward," he said. "I fear that the 'no' would put us in a position where we are not able to negotiate."
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