Greek PM bracing for pivotal month

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to Athens on Thursday takes place at what is seen as a pivotal time for Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras as he grapples with the threat of a break-up of his coalition once the name deal with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) is ratified by the neighboring country's parliament - most likely by Wednesday.

Referring to the visit, German government spokeswoman Martina Fietz said on Friday that she does not know if the name deal will be discussed, but stressed that Berlin "welcomes the agreement and continues to hope that this decades-long dispute will be resolved."

According to diplomatic sources, Merkel chose to visit Athens in order to give support to Tsipras ahead of the deal's ratification by Greek Parliament and to send a message that the Greek economy is on the road to recovery, vindicating German policies during...