Brussels, June 25 (RHC)-- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has criticized the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for dismissing Athens’ proposed reforms needed to restart bailout loan payments.
The refusal to accept Athens’ proposed measures “by certain institutions never occurred before -- neither in Ireland nor Portugal," Tsipras wrote on his Twitter account just before the meeting in Brussels.
Tsipras said: "This strange position maybe hide two things: either they do not want an agreement or they are serving specific interests in Greece." An unidentified EU official, however, said that the planned talks with Greece have not broken down, adding that “negotiations are going on and the meeting with Tsipras will go ahead as planned.”
Greece has been unable to borrow on international markets over the past years, but it has presented a list of reforms to secure funds from lenders. This is while the Mediterranean country is due to make a €1.6 billion (USD1.8 billion) repayment to the IMF at the end of the month, with another €6.7 billion (USD7.5 billion) due to the European Central Bank ECB in July and August.
In 2010 and 2012, Greece received two bailouts worth a total of €240 billion (USD 272 billion) from its international creditors following the 2009 economic crisis.