The Minister of Finances Yanis Varoufakis visited the general director of the International Monetary Fund Christine Lagarde in Washington and had an informal discussion on the Greek government’s reform program.
Following the meeting in the American capital, the Greek minister told journalists that Greece “intends to meet all obligations to all its creditors, ad infinitum” and that the government is committed to carrying out major reforms, while improving the “efficacy of negotiations”. The assurances came in response to complaints from the technical teams in collecting relevant data.
On her behalf, Mrs. Lagarde welcomed the confirmation of Greece’s commitment regarding payments and noted that the ongoing uncertainty regarding the possibility of a default is not in the country’s interest, while reiterating the IMF’s intention to continue supporting the return to growth and increase of employment.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Finances, the two-and-a-half-hour meeting was carried out in a good climate and was productive. Aside from the reform plans, which dominated the discussion, the two sides also discussed the improvement of the negotiations within the framework of the Brussels Group.
It was also announced that on Monday morning Mr. Varoufakis will meet with his American counterpart, while at 1pm, local time, he is scheduled to meet with President Barack Obama‘s top economic and national security adviser Caroline Atkinson. Mr. Varoufakis will be accompanied by Greece’s former IMF representative Takis Roumeliotis.
