European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said he expects that Greece and its international creditors will come to a financial aid agreement by early June. There has been optimism within the Greek government in the past few days that a deal will be reached by the end of May, as the country is facing a serious cash problem. The optimism increased after the Juncker statement. Juncker was interviewed on Tuesday in Strasbourg, France, and when asked if he believes in the prospect of an agreement between the Greek government and its creditors, he said, “yes, toward the end of May, start of June.” The European Commission President reiterated that he is personally involved in the efforts to prevent a debt default of Alexis Tsipras’ leftist government. At the same time, he denied reports in the Greek and British press that he has a compromise plan on behalf of the creditors. “There is no Juncker plan,” he said. “This rumor in the British and Greek press about a Juncker plan is not true.” Asked to comment on the Juncker statement, European Commission spokesman in Greece Margaritis Schinas said that the statement is based on the fact that progress has been achieved in some sectors. “The deal is on the horizon,” he underlined. However, there are still some open issues, he added. Juncker also ruled out the possibility of an aid deal with Greece at a May 21-22 Riga meeting of European Union leaders with their counterparts from non-EU countries to the east such as Ukraine and Azerbaijan. “Riga is not made for that,” he said. The Greek government is hoping that a political solution to the Greek problem may be achieved on the sidelines of the Riga summit. The Greek PM wants to meet with Juncker, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande to discuss the Greek debt issue as negotiations on a technical level are not progressing.
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