German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet Greek leaders in Athens on Friday for the first time since 2014 to discuss economic reforms, according to Reuters.
Last week opposition leader opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced the visit from the German leader while also taking a jab at the Syriza-led government led by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.
“I have a good personal relationship with her and hopefully, if that is the will of the Greek people, I look forward to working with her after the next national elections,” Mitsotakis told reporters while visiting Seeon Germany to meet with Bavaria's Christian Social Union party.
Mitsotakis also promised to bring more investment to Greece during his visit to Germany and said he would continue to shrink the government since “much more should have been achieved over the past four years than has been achieved.”
During Merkel's visit, she will likely press Athens on the austerity measures implemented during the debt crisis, even though those made her deeply unpopular among Greek citizens.
The meetings will also cover the name deal with Macedonia since Germany and the European Union hope the negotiations can help foster peace and stability between the neighboring countries and the Balkan region.
Germany is concerned about Tsipras government being able to push through the name change agreement with Macedonia in Greece's parliament which would change the country's name to the Republic of North Macedonia.
The Independent Greeks, Tsipras' right-wing coalition partner, have threatened to quit if the deal comes before parliament.
Many Greeks also want Macedonia to entirely drop "Macedonia" from its name since it has an implication of a territorial claim on a northern Greek province of the same name.
Tsipras' popularity has been falling in opinion polls before the elections later this year, even though he has promised to reverse some of the unpopular economic reforms.
A number of far-left parties have called for protests when Merkel visits later this week.
Germany hopes the name change and diplomatic push will help the former Yugoslav republic to join the European Union and NATO and will also help decrease Russian influence in the Balkan region.
Diplomats said Merkel may also discuss reparations for World War Two Greek victims who were subjected to Nazi occupation and the repayment of a loan Greece was forced to make to Germany around that same time.
Germany has previously dismissed those demands, but the Greek president raised the issue when the German president visited Athens last year.
-WN.com, Maureen Foody