German Chancellor Angela Merkel is unlikely to agree to a bilateral meeting with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at a European Union summit next week, a German government official said.
The chancellor’s aim is to show Tsipras that he is isolated in Europe because he is not willing to implement measures required by Greece’s bailout program, according to the official, who asked not to be named because the discussions are private, a Bloomberg report says. Also, Merkel said she sees no room for maneuver regarding Greece’s debt and she doubts that the new leftist government can raise state revenues by tackling corruption and tax evasion and increasing taxes on the rich.
The Greek premier has said that Greece wants a big chunk of the state debt written off and a lift of the austerity measures imposed on Europe by Germany mainly.
Tsipras is visiting Cyprus on Monday before trips to Rome, Paris and Brussels. He has not scheduled a meeting with the chancellor of Germany, the biggest contributor to Greece’s financial rescue, until the gathering of European Union leaders on February 12.
In the past, Tsipras had openly and repeatedly criticized Merkel for the harsh austerity measures Germany was imposing on the countries of the European south. Underscoring the tense relationship, Tsipras’ first official action after assuming office was placing a laurel to a monument of victims of the Nazi occupation, according to the Bloomberg report.
However, both sides publicly claim that there is will for cooperation. “Europe will continue to show solidarity with Greece, as well as other countries particularly affected by the crisis, if these countries undertake their own reforms and savings efforts,” Merkel said in an interview with a German newspaper.
The Greek government spokesperson Gavriil Sakellaridis said in a text message “the Greek government wishes cooperation and contacts with all EU governments and all EU institutions. In the same context it wishes to have cooperation and contacts with the German government and we are certain that there’s also a mutual will from their side.”
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