Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras expressed his optimism on Wednesday that Greece is on the right track to reach an agreement about a viable solution regarding the Greek debt.

During a joint press conference he gave with European Parliament President Martin Schulz after their meeting, Tsipras underlined that the Greek government is doing whatever it can to reach a mutually satisfying agreement with the country’s International creditors.

“We will try to do our best in order to find a mutually acceptable agreement and a compromise for our common future,” Tsipras told the press and went on to add that the government’s goal is “to respect the clear mandate of the people” and to correct the framework of the EU rules without “smashing” it.

On his part, Schulz stressed that the Greek prime minister is welcome to the European Parliament.

Background

Greece’s leftist government continues its quest to persuade a sceptical Europe to accept a new debt agreement, with a new round of crucial meetings scheduled to take place today. More specifically, Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had a meeting on Wednesday morning in Brussels with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker. The meeting begun ended at around 12.00 am (Greek time) and no statements were made afterwards.

In the photos taken before the meeting, the two men appeared to be in a good mood, constantly smiling. In fact, Juncker took Tsipras’ hand to lead him into the room where the meeting would be held.

The Greek Prime Minister also met today with Martin Schulz, the President of the European Parliament and with Donald Tusk, the President of the European Council. At noon, he will fly to Paris in order to meet with French President Francois Hollande.

Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis’ important meeting in Frankfurt with Mario Draghi, the President of the European Central Bank, has also concluded. The meeting begun at approximately 10.30 am (Greek time) on Wednesday morning.

Yesterday’s meeting between PM Alexis Tsipras and his Italian counterpart Matteo Renzi in Rome filled the Greek government with optimism, as the Italian leader made no reference to the Troika of Greece’s international creditors nor did he say anything about the need for Greece to remain in the previous bailout program.

According to leftist SYRIZA, Renzi’ s stance shows that the Italian PM comprehends that Europe needs a new anti-austerity program that will focus on growth and may be willing to form an alliance with Greece to pursue this goal.