By Nikos Bellos
Representatives of institutional creditors departed Athens on Friday in order to participate in a scheduled meeting with the Eurogroup Working Group in Brussels, although they are expected back in the Greek capital the same day.
Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva made the statement to reporters here on Friday.
She added that negotiations between creditors’ representatives and Greek authorities are “productive” and aim at achieving the first review of the Greek program as soon as possible.
Andreeva reminded that EU Commission Pierre Moscovici on Thursday said negotiations were progressing smoothly, and with substantive progress recorded on several issues being negotiated.
Asked why Friday’s briefing was not conducted via a customary teleconference and if a recent Wikileaks disclosure produced the face-to-face meeting in Brussels, the spokeswoman merely said there was enough time for a meeting in person.
She declined to answer a press question over whether the Greek program – or a possible initiative on the Greek debt issue -- was discussed by EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker and German Chancellor Angela Merkel during their phone contacts this week.
Only contacts between creditors’ teams of technocrats and Greek officials are scheduled for Friday.
The most significant meeting scheduled for Saturday is with Greek labor minister Giorgos Katrougalos, whose portfolio includes social security and labor relations in the country.
Meanwhile, a top finance ministry official on Friday was quoted as saying that Athens’ goal is to achieve a draft agreement by Tuesday, so that the first review of the Greek program will be achieved by Orthodox Easter, i.e. May 1.
That date is nine days past the previous and oft-repeated deadline of April 22.
