It is time to rise above any obstacles concerning the Greek matter without any “blackmail”, Greek PM Alexis Tsipras told reporters upon his arrival at the EU Summit meeting in Brussels, Thursday. Mr. Tsipras called for the respect of “national sovereignty”, commenting on the EuroGroup’s decision to suspend the Greek debt relief measures in response to his recent announcements to allocate part of the GDP surplus to support low income pensioners and suspend the VAT hike in Aegean islands. The Greek PM stated that talks between Greece and its creditors must continue in order to maintain stability at “very uncertain time for Europe”, adding that courageous decisions weer needed. Commenting on the refugee crisis, Mr. Tsipras noted that the EU-Turkey deal should be supported, while pointing out the need for all member states to share the burden of the refugee crisis. Earlier the Greek PM had met with EP President Martin Schulz, who according to Greek sources, expressed his support to the Greek positions. Mr. Scuklz underlined warned that a deal on the Greek matter had to be reached as soon as possible for the “good of Europe as a whole”. On the matter of whether the IMF would continue to part of the Greek fiscal adjustment program, the Greek PM said that Greece was part of Europe and therefore any negotiations were held collectively and “no new measures”.
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