German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday had a brief meeting and a conversation lasting a few minutes with the leader of Greece’s main opposition New Democracy party, Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
During the meeting, held on the sidelines of the European People’s Party (EPP) summit in Brussels, they confirmed Mitsotakis’ upcoming visit to Berlin on February 13, when he will meet with the German chancellor.
Also on the sidelines of the EPP, Mitsotakis had meetings with European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans, European Commission Vice-President and Commissioner for the Euro and Social Dialogue Valdis Dombrovskis and European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici.
According to a New Democracy press release, Mitsotakis presented the party’s plan for Greece’s exit from the crisis, noting that the present government had neither the ability nor the inclination to implement the reforms needed to return Greece to growth.
He outlined ND’s view that a front-loaded reform programme with lower primary surpluses could bring better results. Mitsotakis said that the “unilateral actions on the part of the Greek government had strengthened the arguments of those wanting to create problems for the conclusion of the second review,” adding that ND will not “enter into petty political tactics”.
The meetings also dealt with the refugee and migration crisis, the disproportionate burden placed on the islands of the northeastern Aegean, and the Greek government’s responsibility for delays in processing asylum applications.
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