ATHENS, June 15 (Xinhua) -- Greek officials and media welcomed on Thursday in Athens the deal reached during the Euro Group meeting in Luxembourg that unlocks the next bailout tranche this summer so that Greece can repay 7 billion euros debt maturing in July.
However, the promise of international lenders to see into the extra debt relief issue after the end of the current program in 2018, was received with mixed feelings in the Greek capital.
Euro Group approved the disbursement of 8.5 billion euros to Greece completing the second assessment of Greece's third bailout program review with the participation of the IMF, Euro Group's President Jeroen Dijsselbloem announced during a press conference after the meeting in Luxembourg.
Along EU Economic and Financial Affairs Commissioner Pierre Moscovici and International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Christine Lagarde he referred to a significant step forward to exit the Greek crisis.
The issue of the country's debt will be discussed on the basis of the May 2016 agreement, Dijsselbloem said.
In a first comment on the outcome of the Euro zone Finance ministers meeting from Athens Greece's Defense Minister Panos Kammenos tweeted the victory sign, before Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos in Luxembourg appears content for the "road map under construction so that Greece turns page", according to Greek national news agency AMNA.
"It is a clear improvement of the May 22 package. It is time to focus on growth, lower unemployment, exit memoranda," Dimitris Papadimoulis, member of the European parliament from Greece's ruling Radical Left SYRIZA party, posted on his social media accounts, referring to the previous Euro Group meeting which had ended inconclusively as Athens insisted on more clarity on the debt issue.
"The review ended successfully. It is time for hard work to exit bailouts for good," added Costas Zachariadis, speaker of SYRIZA's parliamentary group.
Greek media expressed relief over the conclusion of the second review which under the initial timetable set in the summer of 2015, when the third Greek bailout was signed, should have closed in February 2016.
The diverging views between IMF and European creditors, mainly Germany, on the terms of participation of the Fund in the program and the approach of the debt sustainability issue, stalled progress for several months.
Under Thursday's compromise agreement IMF will eventually formally join the third bailout, but will delay providing substantial funds until euro area lenders clarify more the long- term debt relief measures they intend to take.
"An agreement on the strategy to exit the crisis has been clinched," commented Avghi (Dawn) newspaper on Thursday night, while financial news portal "Sofokleous.gr" added " this is a small victory in the Euro Group, a positive signal for the economy."
"Tranche of 8.5 billion euros cleared, without clear plan for the debt issue," commented Proto Thema (Top Story) newspaper on the other hand, reflecting skepticism regarding the "half solution" given on Thursday concerning the debt issue. (1 euro= 1.1 US dollars)
