Merkel

Chancellor Angela Merkel has underlined the strategic importance of Turkey for Germany Friday, despite persistent political differences between Berlin and Ankara.

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz classified US president's foreign policy as very successful. Kurz's statement is on the eve of his visit to Washington, where he will be on February 20th.

The Chancellor stated as the main purpose of his visit to help prevent a trade war.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday she had given up hope that Athens and Skopje could ever find a solution to the decades-old name dispute, before congratulating the two prime ministers for reaching a settlement.

A protester destroys the wreath that German Chancellor Angela Merkel laid earlier in the day at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, during a teachers' demonstration outside of the Greek Parliament, in Athens, Friday. Teachers protested against a new law regulating for the appointment/hiring of permanent teaching staff. The rally took place a few hours after Merkel's visit to Athens. [EPA]

"No matter how much pressure Mrs Merkel were to exercise on Kyriakos Mitsotakis, he would not change his mind over the Prespes agreement," a spokesman for opposition New Democracy, Lefteris Avgenakis, said on Friday following a meeting between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the head of Greece's main opposition party.

On the second day of her official visit to Greece, German Chancellor Angela Merkel is scheduled to attend a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Athens before meeting with President of the Republic Prokopis Pavlopoulos at the Presidential Mansion at 10 a.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel commended Greece on Thursday for entering "a new era" after its bailout exit in August, but said it must continue pushing ahead with reforms.

Protesters clash with riot police during a demonstration against the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Athens, Thursday. [Alkis Konstantinidis/Reuters]

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived in Athens for a two-day visit on Thursday. 

Merkel, who landed at Athens International Airport at 6.15 p.m., is scheduled to meet with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at Maximos Mansion at 6.10 p.m. The two leaders will then hold a joint press conference at 7.40 p.m.

A total of 2,000 police officers are to be deployed across Athens for a two-day visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel starting on Thursday afternoon.