The eurozone's 19 leaders have been summoned to an emergency summit next week after talks about Greece's bailout ended in acrimony on Thursday, intensifying fears that the country was heading for bankruptcy and an exit from the euro.
Greece’s radical left-led government has been locked in discussions with international creditors since its election in January over what economic reforms and budget cuts it needs to make to get the remaining €7.2bn available in its bailout fund.
The Greek premier said an agreement would still be reached “with respect for democratic principles and EU law; an agreement which will allow Greece to return to sustainable growth within the eurozone”.
“We sought to hold final negotiations' at highest political level in Europe and now we are working for this Summit to have a positive outcome. Those who invest in crisis and horror scenarios will be disappointed” Tsipras said in a statement.
A close aide to the Prime Minister said to iefimerida.gr that “the fact that negotiations continue on the political level is a success for the government”.
Concerning the main sticking points that remain between Athens and its creditors, such as the primary budget surplus for 2016, a senior government official said to iefimerida.gr that “a solution can be reached as the differences are not intractable. The aim is for all sides to work intensively to bridge the gaps and have a fruitful summit”
As the Prime Minister is in Saint Petersburg Greece is brimming with anticipation for another Tsipras speech at the World Economic Forum and for the outcomes of his meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, well informed sources, say that Tsipras will hold a phone call over the weekend with European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker, without excluding holding phone calls with several other European leaders.
According to the same sources an extraordinary Eurogroup could be summoned before Monday, to evaluate the Greek proposals depending on the outcome of the phone calls.