Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande had a 35-minute teleconference on Sunday evening in which they agreed that the agreement between Greece and creditors should be signed soon. At the same time, several top European officials have said that the deal should be expedited. Some even said that it is possible the deal could be signed within this week. The Greek side is optimistic that an agreement is pending soon and the doubts over Greece paying the 300-million-euro installment due to the International Monetary Fund on June 5 are lifted. Development Minister Giorgos Stathakis said the repayment will be made on time, especially now that the two sides are closer to an agreement. Technical talks between the lenders representatives and the Greek team will continue through Wednesday in Brussels, therefore an emergency Eurogroup session is impossible until then. The Greek prime minister may travel to Berlin this week to have face to face talks with the German chancellor. Meanwhile, he is trying to have personal talks with all heads of lending institutions and European top officials. European Commission Chief warns Europe of the risks of a Greek exit from euro zone EC President Jean-Claude Juncker reiterated on Sunday that a Greek default and a possible Grexit may damage the European common currency. “I don’t share the idea that we will have fewer worries and restraints if Greece gives up the euro,” Juncker said in an interview in Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Monday. The EC president told the newspaper paper that if a country were to withdraw from the euro, “it would fix the idea in heads that the euro is not irreversible.” Such an idea could discourage investors from investing in Europe altogether, he said. To stress his point, Juncker said that Japan’s prime minister made clear to him during his visit to Tokyo that Japan’s investment in Europe depended on having confidence in the euro. Juncker will meet with Merkel and Hollande in Berlin on Monday and they will discuss the Greek issue, even though Greece is not the official reason the meeting will be held.
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