BERLIN
German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble and Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis could find few points of agreement in their talks to resolve the Greek debt crisis on Thursday.
Speaking at a joint press conference after the talks, Schauble said that he appreciated the efforts of the Greek People since the beginning of the economic crisis in their country and the progress that has been achieved in Greece over recent years.
"There is no full agreement between two of us, however. We have agreed to disagree," Schauble said,
Schauble also said that they have to come to an understanding in the interest of resolving the Greek debt crisis.
Varoufakis took a milder tone.
"We did not even agree to disagree from my understanding," said Varoufakis. "We agreed to enter into deliberations as partners with a joint orientation towards a European solution."
Varoufakis said that he wanted to give a message to Schauble, saying that their government is a potential partner in search for European solutions not only for Greece, but also for Europe.
"With our government, you can expect to implement efficient macro-economic reforms," he said.
The new coalition government in Greece, led by the radical left party Syriza, won national elections in January with a platform strongly opposed to the austerity measures that had been imposed by its European creditors.
Varoufakis has proposed a swap agreement to restructure Greek debt, but, so far, its has received no support from either the international organizations that hold most of its debt, nor from individual national leaders.
