Michel Sapin

The IMF Communications Director, Gerry Rice reaffirmed the Fund’s positions on Greece during the regular press briefing in Washington, Thursday. Mr.

A political upheaval has started in Athens after the creditors’ demand from the Greek opposition to back the economic measures after 2019 elections.

The first such statement was made by the French Finance Minister Michel Sapin. According to him, the IMF wants the country’s main opposition party, New Democracy, to practically sign the new measures.

As Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos struggled on with tough bailout negotiations in Brussels on Tuesday, comments by his European counterparts about the possible need for the opposition in Greece to back economic measures after 2019, when the next Greek general elections are scheduled to take place, spurred political upheaval in Athens.

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday denied reports that it had demanded the Greek government to secure the support of the opposition in voting through measures sought by creditors to continue bailout negotiations.

French Finance Minister Michel Sapin expressed the need for the second review on the Greek bailout program to conclude as soon as possible. Mr. Sapin, who is in Athens on an official visit, met with Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and Minister of Economy and Development Dimitris Papadimitriou.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is to receive his visiting French counterpart Bernard Cazeneuve for talks at the Maximos Mansion at noon on Friday that are expected to focus on the progress of the Greek program and French interest in investments.

Cazeneuve is in Athens with his Finance Minister Michel Sapin and Harlem Desir, France's minister of state for European affairs.

French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve is due to conduct an official visit to Athens on March 3.

Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos and his French counterpart Michel Sapin agreed that the completion of second review of the Greek program must come about as soon as possible during their meeting in Paris. According to Greek Finance Ministry sources, in the informal meeting, which was also attended by Alternate Finance Minister George Chouliarakis, Mr.

Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos has launched an effort to unfreeze talks on the Greek bailout review ahead of Thursday's Euro Working Group - which will determine when and under what conditions the mission chiefs of the country's creditors can return to Athens - as the target of concluding the review within January appears to be increasingly out of reach.

Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos is to meet with his French counterpart Michel Sapin and European Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici ahead of a Euro Working Group meeting on Thursday.