Greek PM Alexis Tsipras and German Chancellor Angela Merkel held a joint press conference before their meeting in Berlin, Friday, where they outlined the issues on the agenda of talks. Both leaders agreed on the close relationships between the two nations, with Ms. Merkel stressing that Germany would not abandon Greece on the refugee crisis, saying Germany was trying to support Greece by calling for a just allocation of the refugees across the EU member-states. She expressed her concerns over the fact that the deal between the EU and Turkey was not panning out as expected. “We did not always have easy talks, but they were always open”, she said on the negotiations with Greece. On his part, Mr. Tsipras said that “courageous decisions” where imperative to prevent Greece from returning to uncertainty, while Chancellor Merkel reiterated the German position that the responsibility for reaching any decisions on the Greek matter lied exclusively with the institutions involved in negotiations with Greece. Mr. Tsipras said he would brief Chancellor Merkel on the positive course of the Greek economy and the surplus, which was the basis for his issuing half of 13th pension to low income pensioners, adding that the migrant crisis and matters of security would also be discussed. The Greek PM underlined the gravity of the current situation noting the rapid rise of extremism and racism in the EU, adding that they presented a common threat to the EU. On the Cypriot issue, Mr. Tsipras stressed that it was a core issue for Europe and that the EU had a key role to play in its solution.