11.1.13
The representative of the German Ministry of Finances confirmed that Wolfgang Schäuble will meet SYRIZA leader Alexis Tsipras on Monday. The meeting, which was requested by Mr. Tsipras, will last approximately half an hour.
Schäuble is expected to stress that he fully supports the politics of the current tripartite government and considers necessary the consent of other parties in order to achieve memorandum goals. He also wants to hear first hand and debate Mr. Tsipras opinions. The German minister is expected to underline the importance of complying with the memorandum, especially in the “immediate actions” department.
Mr. Schäuble’s acceptance reveals a shift in the German government’s policy, which until recently only co-operated with left-wing parties in power. Prior to June elections a senior government officer referred to Mr. Tsipras as “our political enemy, we will not put him in our yard”.
The German government has adopted a more realistic approach in their dealings with left-wing political forces, as revealed by the meeting with Mr. Tsipras.
In any case, the Monday meeting will likely open more doors for Mr. Tsipras, allowing the Greek Opposition to take advantage of its leader’s rising popularity. On Saturday Mr. Tsipras will participate in a seminar of the European Left Party as a speaker.
SYRIZA confirmed the upcoming meeting, which according to them “was arranged just before Christmas, in cooperation with the Left Party of Germany (Die Link)”, but was not announced earlier “as is common practice with governments and happened in Brazil and Argentina”.
