Friday, February 6, 2015
Greek Finance Minister Yianis Varoufakis met yesterday with his German counterpart Wolfgang Schäuble in Berlin. The two men emerged from a lengthy meeting which was followed by a press conference. They diverged on their views regarding Greece’s relationship with its lenders: Schäuble insisted that Athens complete its current bailout and continue working with the troika; Varoufakis said the Greek government does not want to borrow more money but needs some time that would allow it to negotiate with its eurozone partners to reach a new "contract."
He pledged to present to the next Eurogroup a roadmap that will show how Greece could transition from its current bailout to a new agreement, which he believes can be agreed by the end of May.
In the mean time, addressing coalition MPs in Athens yesterday - the first government council meeting - since the January 25 elections, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras outlined the strategy his government will follow in negotiations with the country’s creditors. The government will start presenting its policy statement beginning on Sunday (8.02) - a process expected to last until Tuesday (10.02).
