The European Stability Mechanism (ESM)

The Greek government may be celebrating the "low" interest rates with which it has tapped the international bond markets this year, but those rates - besides being the highest in the eurozone - entail an additional cost that constitutes the collateral for investors, particularly the long-term investing funds.

The Greek government has not indicated that it intends to walk away from the agreed primary surplus target of 3.5 percent go GDP, the head of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) Klaus Regling  said in an interview with state-run broadcaster ERT late Wednesday.

Klaus Regling, the managing director of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), reiterated on Wednesday his call for Greece to stick to the reforms which were part of its eight-year bailout programs, saying its economy is on the right track.

The fuss about the Prespes name deal deflected attention away from comments made by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who during her visit to Athens stressed that Greece must stay the course on reforms.

The repayment of state debts to suppliers and taxpayers continues to inch along at a snail's pace, even though the Greek Finance Ministry has already received the final installment for that purpose from the European Stability Mechanism (ESM).

Thursday's euphoria at local banks proved short-lived, despite the mobilization of the government and regulatory authorities, as the pressure on bank stocks returned on Friday - sending their sector's index down 1.78 percent - while experts say a bad bank might be preferable to the kind of asset protection scheme being prepared by the government.

Greece can use this year's improved budget numbers to change policies, as long as the government discusses them first with the country's creditors, the Managing Director of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), Klaus Regling, said in an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, published on Tuesday.

The European Stability Mechanism (ESM) could freeze Greece's debt relief measures if the government starts rolling back reforms, its head Klaus Regling said in an interview with Austrian newspaper Die Presse, published on Sunday.

While Greece's exit from its latest bailout program on Monday constitutes a milestone for the Greek government and its European creditors, the day is mostly being treated as symbolic by international markets, with analysts arguing that several reforms are still needed to improve the Greek economy.

Almost three years after the SYRIZA-ANEL coalition government signed the third bailout program and two days before Greece is set to complete it, former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis said his biggest mistake during his tumultuous tenure was "trusting Tsipras."