The high expectations the Greek government had propagated on the implementation of measures to reduce the Greek debt were shattered, as Berlin made it abundantly clear that no such actions were on the cards. The spokesperson of the German Federal Finance Ministry, Steffen Seibert stressed that German Minister Wolfgang Schuable was not considering the proposals put forward by the IMF for a reduction of the Greek debt by implementing measures to extend the payment period or giving a grace period. Berlin is essentially unwavering in its position that unless the completion of the program is achieved in 2018, and under the condition that a debt relief is deemed necessary, no talks on a debt reduction would be on the agenda.