Commenting on the statements made by European Parliament President Martin Schulz a few hours ahead of his arrival in Athens and his meeting with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, government sources said Greece must be treated as an equal partner from now on.

Specifically, they noted that the SYRIZA-Independent Greeks coalition believes that there can be no consensus without dialogue and the agreement of member-states. Martin Schulz hasn’t minced his words this week, warning on Wednesday against straying from the common European Union’s stance against Russia, with regard to the killings in eastern Ukraine.

Just a few hours before arriving in Athens to meet with the leftist Prime Minister, Schulz told German ZDF broadcaster that he has noticed “with great concern” that Greece has abandoned the European Union’s joint position towards Russia.

Responding to these statements, the same unnamed sources underlined that the new Greek government from the very first moment has made clear that Athens should be treated as an equal member and its position should be taken into account.