Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras will reportedly hold a series of one-on-one meetings with top European leaders this week on the sidelines of a European summit in Brussels, contacts aimed squarely at trying to clear obstacles preventing a second review of the Greek program.
The most closely watched meeting, however, will come on Friday in Berlin, after the EU summit, where Tsipras will be received by German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Other meetings with top German leaders are also scheduled.
The delayed review is the foremost of several intertwined issues bedeviling Tsipras and his leftist government, as uncertainty over fiscal targets after 2018 and the IMF’s stance on the current (and possible future) bailout program remain unresolved.
Meanwhile, on Wednesday, his first day in Brussels, Tsipras will meet with Cyprus President Nikos Anastasiades, with the meeting also attended by Greek and Cypriot foreign ministers. The more-or-less expected contacts come amid renewed talks between the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities to find a solution to the Cyprus problem.
A meeting with European Parliament president Martin Schulz is set for Thursday, followed with a meeting with France’s Francois Hollande.
Interestingly enough, Tsipras will participate at the Party of European Socialists’ (PES) preparation meeting on Thursday in Brussels as an observer, whereas on Saturday he will briefly address the 5th congress of the Party of the European Left, which is being held in Berlin.
