Greek government-debt crisis

Greece?s proposal to swap its foreign debt for growth-linked bonds is a disguised form of debt forgiveness, the leader of Germany?s Euroskeptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) party told Reuters on Tuesday.

Fresh talk of a third international bailout for debt-hit Greece spread through European capitals on Tuesday, despite Brussels insisting it was far too soon to start discussing any new rescue package.

Conservatives in the European Parliament want it to vote next week to condemn a right-wing party in Greece?s new leftist-led coalition government, comparing it to an EU rebuke to Austria 15 years ago.

 Varoufakis holds talks with Italian counterpart in Rome

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said Tuesday he would meet his German counterpart Wolfgang Schauble in Berlin on Thursday for talks on his country?s debt crisis.

The minister announced the keenly-awaited encounter after meeting in Rome with his Italian counterpart.

Instead of seeking inspiration from Syriza?s success in Greece, opposition parties in Turkey should take a look at the ruling Justice and Development Party?s (AKP) 12-year-long success story, Prime Minister Ahmet Davuto?lu has said, while suggesting that even Syriza leader and new Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has expressed his recognition of this success.

Yanis Varoufakis appeared confident of finding a new middle ground for a deal with European partners and lenders after his meeting with the Italian FinMin. This meeting basically paved the way for a meeting between the Prime Ministers of the two countries.

By Arne Delfs

Germany expects talks with Greece to drag on until after the current round of bailout funding runs out at the end of the month and is prepared to play a waiting game until April or May, when the country approaches a cash crunch, a person familiar with the matter said.

Yanis Varoufakis seems to be the trending topic across the country after the recent elections. So much that a bar owner in Thessaloniki decided to name a cocktail drink after him!

According to sources, the cocktail is called “Varou-funky-s”, a play-on-words between his name and Funky. The cocktail includes mastic, orange liquor, lemon and pepper and they taste quite nice.

"We will witness the end of the crisis in June. We can do it. Everyone in Europe just needs to calm down", stated FinMin Yanis Varoufakis to Italian journalists shortly before his meeting with Finance Minister of Italy Pier Carlo Padoan.

Was it a turn against all the election speeches, a turn towards realism, or a diplomatic tactic in order to convince European partners of the need to lessen Greek debt?