Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos said a first meeting on Monday between Athens’ negotiators and representatives of institutional creditors, following a break for Western Easter late last month, did not touch on the purported leaked conversation by IMF executives concerning the Greek program.
“Not at all; they didn’t mention it, and I didn’t mention it,” he was quoted as saying when asked by reporters.
“There was an introductory discussion, we set the timetable for the first week until next Monday,” Tsakalotos said.
Additionally, the leftist Greek government and the “quartet” of representatives reviewed a “road map” of actions until a scheduled Eurogroup meeting on April 22, the Greek finance minister said.
According to the Greek side, no discussion took place on additional measures totaling 1.8 billion euros.
Tsakalotos, a Britain-based academic before entering politics in Greece last year, had no comment when asked if his government was “concerned” over the prospect of the European institutions lining up behind the IMF’s positions over the leaked teleconference conversation.
Alternate FinMin Giorgos Houliarakis was also present at the meeting.
On the part of creditors, Declan Costello και Chris Allen represented the EU Commission; Delia Velculescu, Iva Petrova and Wes McGrew represented the IMF; Rasmus Ruffer and Giovanni Callegari the ECB, and Nicola Giammarioli represented the ESM.
Missing was Commission representative Gabriele Giudice, who was headed to Greece at press time.
A list of participants came in the wake of various local press reports claiming that the IMF representatives had “avoided” the meeting.
The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday.
