Washington

IMF Director Christine Lagarde promptly dispelled any hopes the Greek government might have had of reaching a deal with its lenders anytime soon without the adoption of new measures, in a press conference, Saturday in Washington. Lagarde said that tyne talks are ongoing and that a lot needs to be done, adding that the measures adopted must be viable.

Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos had a series of meetings in Washington during the IMF-World Bank summit in an effort to present his views on the progress of negotiations between the country and its lenders. On the sidelines of the Summit, Tsakalotos met with IMF Director Christine Lagarde and agreed that the IMF representatives would return to Athens next week.

President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an's trip to Washington last month showed just how far the Turkish government's reputation has plunged in the West. Erdo?an's security team stirred outrage by roughing up both protesters and ordinary reporters trying to enter the Brookings Institution think tank, where he spoke on March 31.

European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has expressed her concern about reports of "new Syrian regime offensives near Aleppo and east of Damascus." 

"The EU strongly supports the U.N. efforts to resume Syrian talks and push for the political transition for the sake of Syrians, the region and the world," Mogherini said in a statement.

Head of the IMF’s European branch Poul Thomsen said that the 3.5 primary surplus target for Greece laid out in the adjustment program was unattainable, during the Fund’s meeting with the World Bank in Washington, Friday.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on April 14 condemned as dangerous and provocative a military encounter in the Baltic Sea that the United States has described as a simulated attack on a U.S. destroyer by two Russian warplanes. 

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama scored a propaganda coup on Thursday with a meeting with US President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden in Washington.

Officially held to mark the 25th anniversary of the re-establishment of diplomatic relations, the two leaders discussed terrorism, Albania's role in the Balkans - and baseball among other matters.

European Commissioner on Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici said the economic outlook for the Eurozone for the immediate future was worse than the initial projections, during a speech at the Peterson Institute for International Economics in Washington, Thursday. He said that the Eurozone’s GDP would rise in the first quarter of 2016, but added that the figure was revised downward.

In the wake of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an's meeting with his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama, during a visit to the U.S. capital late last month, Ankara and Washington have intensified their contacts to revitalize a program for training "moderate" Syrian rebels in favor of ramping up support for established and proven forces.

IMF Director Christine Lagarde claimed that Greece’s economy could be salvaged, if the country’s debt was sustainable and it accelerated the necessary reforms, during a press conference held on Thursday. Ahead of Friday’s start of the IMF-World Bank meeting in Washington, Friday, the Fund’s head said the last thing Greece wanted would be any delays.