Merkel to meet President, opposition chief on second day of Athens visit
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.
The chancellor will then visit the German School of Athens (DSA) in the northern suburb of Maroussi at around 11.15 a.m. followed by a lunch with business leaders.
At 2 p.m. Merkel is scheduled to meet with Greece’s conservative opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis. The meeting will take place at the German ambassador’s residence in the Athens district of Halandri.
The German leader is scheduled to depart Athens at 4.30 p.m.
A total of 2,000 police officers have been deployed across Athens over Merkel’s two-day visit.
Authorities will on Friday close Syntagma station from 8.30 a.m. to 11.30 a.m. There will be no metro services from Plakendia station to the airport for the duration of her visit.
During a meeting with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Thursday, Merkel expressed her support for the Prespes name deal as well as Greece’s ongoing economic reform efforts, saying the country was entering a new phase.
