German-Greek relations: Merkel and Tsipras want to “go beyond … – TF1

Merkel and Alexis Tsipras Monday launched an appeal beyond the clichés that poison relations between Germany and Greece , which is still pending on the reforms to be implemented in exchange for European assistance they urgently need. “The Greeks are not lazy and Germans are not responsible for all the ills of Greece. We must work hard to overcome these stereotypes,” said Greek Prime Minister, during his first official visit to Berlin a little less than two months after taking office.

An intention that also affirmed German Chancellor during a joint press conference, following an initial interview a little more an hour between the two leaders which was to extend the time of a dinner.

Difficult questions and disagreements

In an atmosphere more relaxed, contrasting sharply with the high tension having sealed the first meeting in February the Minister of Finance Wolfgang Schäuble with his counterpart Yanis Varoufakis, Alexis Tsipras praised the sound quality of Angela Merkel, while the Chancellor assured that “both countries wanted to live together and were both parties of the European Union. ” “We need to better understand us, there is no other way but dialogue,” said Mr. Tsipras came without tie.

The Chancellor admitted that there was “difficult questions” and “disagreements” between Athens and Berlin, but she assured will “cooperate in a spirit of mutual trust “and” an economically strong Greece “. Alexis Tsipras insisted that “the bailout (Greece) has (Vait) not a success,” while claiming not to want not “destroy the positive recent years,” but to find ” a new policy mix to solve the problems. ”

Germany wants Greece to be economically independent

The crimes of the Nazi regime again on table

The Greek official assured not to have moved to Berlin to ask for money, and recalled that “medium-term liquidity problems” of his country “were known” and that he had “inherited”. Faced with substantial repayments while its coffers are almost empty, Greece expects the release at least part of the last tranche of loans (€ 7.2 billion) provided in connection with the extension of financial assistance February 20 decided by Europeans.

Without a release short-term funds, “it will be ‘impossible’ for Athens to ensure the debt service in the coming weeks,” warned the Greek Prime Minister in a letter dated March 15 and revealed Monday by the Financial Times. Alexis Tsipras pledged in Brussels on Friday to promptly submit detailed reforms necessary condition for the payment of extra money, while the Commission announced making available of Athens “two billion euros for 2015″ . Merkel stressed that it was not for Germany to decide the quality of reforms by Greece, but to all countries in the euro zone. Mr Tsipras has not clarified its intentions and claimed to have brought something with him in Berlin: “the beautiful Greek times.”

“We do not want to destroy the efforts of the past 5 years”

If the atmosphere was actually cordiality between Mr. Tsipras and Merkel, that did not stop the Greek Prime Minister to hand over sensitive subjects on the mat . He thus sought the support of Berlin in a wide corruption scandal involving in particular the German industrialist Siemens-old almost a decade and has just been sent to justice. He has certainly not failed to re-emphasize the repairs requested by Athens for crimes of the Nazi regime during the Second World War. “It’s not a hardware issue, but first a moral and ethical problem that we have to work,” said Alexis Tsipras, refusing to link the application to the issue of the current financial crisis in Greece. The file is “legally closed”, he once again replied Angela Merkel.