No Brussels Group meeting arranged for Friday or Saturday, say European officials
Greek Finance Ministry officials suggested that a new Brussels Group meeting would take place on Friday or Saturday but European officials on Thursday appeared unaware of such an event.
European officials told Kathimerini that the Brussels Group’s main representatives from the International Monetary Fund, the European Union and the European Central Bank were in Washington on Thursday to participate in the Spring Meeting of the IMF and the World Bank. They were expected back in Brussels on Friday at the earliest, officials said. In the meantime, technical talks between European and Greek government officials continued in Athens on Thursday.
On Thursday, European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas noted that the commission was not satisfied with the progress made so far during the ongoing negotiations between the Greek government and the institutions, adding that work should intensify in view of the next Eurogroup meeting set for April 24 in Riga, where an assessment of the situation would be made.
Meanwhile, in a statement the White House noted that no meeting had been planned between US President Barack Obama and Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis.
The latter was expected to participate on Thursday at a White House ceremony marking Greece’s Independence Day. He was also expected to deliver a lecture at a conference organized by the Brookings Institute.
