Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis expressed the conviction that an agreement with creditors can be reached until the end of June.
In an interview with Yanis Varoufakis that aired today on Parapolitika 90.1 FM, the radio presenter dodged questions about negotiations with lenders, a potential deal, and proposals to set out a new system of VAT rates.
Finance Minister commented on the statements of Yannis Milios about imposing capital controls, and argued that he was threatened by an official with a deposits control unless he signed the Memorandum, the threat was posed from the first week he was appointed minister.
Varoufakis said there is a a climate of understanding and trust between Alexis Tsipras and Jean-Claude Juncker.
“There's good chemistry, and that always helps,” he said and went on to describe the negotiations as complicated. “There is a paradox with the IMF”, he said, adding “they are well aware that it is not possible to reach a deal when the Greek sovereign debt is unsustainable”.
He also said that Juncker's role is to merge the creditor's proposals into one single deal.
The finance minister expressed optimism about the outcome of the talks. "The closer we approach to the end, the more the lender's attitude hardens. The hardening of attitudes does not aim to force the Greek side to back down but to reach an agreement between them,” he added.
Finally Varoufakis avoided to answer if Greece will meet the debt installment due to the IMF tomorrow. “The finance minister can not answer such questions. I will say that we strive for all of our obligations to be met on time” he said.