Warm words but little action as Greek and German leaders meet

Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras and German chancellor Angela Merkel put on a public display of mutual goodwill yesterday, appealing to Greeks and Germans to set aside recrimination and national stereotypes and work for a better European future.

Yet despite warm words on the new left-wing prime minister’s first official visit to Berlin, it was unclear if they had narrowed differences on economic reforms that Greece must implement to win urgently needed fresh cash from its creditors. The two leaders were due to discuss the reforms in greater depth over dinner last night.

Mr Tsipras insisted he was not in Germany to solve Greece’s pressing liquidity problems but to find common ground to move forward in the eurozone.