German, French leaders send tough message to GreeceAugust 24, 2012 - 14:01 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande presented a united front towards Greece, telling Athens it should not expect leeway on its bailout agreement unless it sticks to tough reform targets, Reuters reported. The German and French leaders met in Berlin to fine-tune their message to Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who begins a charm offensive in Berlin and Paris this week in the hope of persuading Europe's big powers that Greece deserves patience. Merkel stuck to her policy of deferring to a report due in September on Athens' progress by the "troika" of international lenders before discussing flexibility on the bailout terms, but said it was vital "that we all stay true to our commitments". "But we will, and I will, encourage Greece to continue on its path to reform, which has demanded a lot of the Greek people," she told reporters before a dinner with Hollande set to be dominated by Greece. "We want, I want, Greece to be in the euro zone, it's a desire we have expressed since the start of the crisis. It's up to the Greeks to make the effort that is essential for that goal to be met," said France's Socialist president, standing alongside Merkel. German sources who attended the working dinner later told Reuters the two leaders had vowed to work "together and with resolve" to overcome the euro zone crisis and had also agreed that "credibility" was the key to rescuing Greece. A source close to the French presidency said the two leaders had wanted to have a "straightforward" talk on a host of hot-button topics, from the euro zone to Syria. Hollande plans to visit Spain on August 30 and Italy in early September, the source said. Both countries have seen their borrowing costs shoot up this summer amid market fears that the euro zone may start to unravel. Top stories Yerevan has dismissed Turkey’s demand to shut down the Armenian nuclear power plant as “inappropriate”. Armenia will loan 2.9 billion drams to Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), according to a draft government decision. The Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of Azerbaijan has “strongly condemned” Armenia’s decision. Kerobyan has said that for the first time in the history of Armenia, the volume of foreign direct investments amounted to about $1 billion. Partner news | Scholz hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty will be signed this year German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hopes that a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan will be signed this year. Ucom equips four bus stops in Ijevan with free Wi-Fi Ucom now provides free Wi-Fi coverage in smart bus stops in four communities of Ijevan. Armenians stage more campaigns against territorial concessions to Azerbaijan Protesters blocked more roads across Armenia on Friday, April 26 in continuing attempts to scuttle territorial concessions to Azerbaijan. Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. |