Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis met ECB President Mario Draghi for talks in Frankfurt this morning. He struck an optimistic tone after his meeting. The Greek finance minister told reporters shivering outside the ECB headquarters that he believes discussions with international lenders can be concluded quickly.
Varoufakis told Italian daily La Repubblica:
“Greece is bankrupt since 2010. There’s no recovery. Those who want to make people believe the opposite are lying. That’s precisely why we need extraordinary measures.”
Tomorrow’s meeting with Germany’s finance chief Wolfgang Schäuble will be a big test, though. The suspicion is that Berlin will want to play a long game with Greece, and see signs of economic reform before loosening the ties of austerity.
Bronnen: The Guardian, Open Europe