By Nektaria Stamouli and Alkman Granitsas
ATHENS--Greece's government will hold its next meeting with
international lenders in Paris instead of Athens, a government
official said Tuesday.
The change in venue came at the request of Prime Minister
Antonis Samaras, who views the regular visits by international
inspectors from the so-called troika of the European Union,
European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund to the Greek
capital as disruptive, according to government spokeswoman Sofia
Voultepsi.
"Since we are on the right track. the program is performing
well, there is no reason for their physical presence here," she
told local Mega TV channel.
The meetings between government officials and the troika
inspectors will be held in the French capital Sept. 3-5.
Since Greece was bailed out in 2010, international inspectors
have visited Athens roughly every three months to assess the
government's progress in implementing the measures demanded by the
troika. On occasion, the negotiations have dragged on for months
and have been heavily covered by Greek media, whose reports on
every new cutback or austerity measure have sometimes affected
economic sentiment.
The visits have also been accompanied by frequent strikes and
protests, particularly around Greece's finance ministry, which is
in the center of Athens.
The troika's agreeing to meet outside Greece is seen as a sign
of confidence that the austerity program is on the right track and
the pressure on the crisis-battered country has eased.
But, in a statement, Greece's radical leftist Syriza party
described the move as a public relations ploy designed to boost the
government's popularity.
The meeting in Paris represents the first step in the next
troika review. A more detailed assessment of the country's overhaul
program is expected later in September or early October.
Write to Nektaria Stamouli at nektaria.stamouli@wsj.com and
Alkman Granitsas at alkman.granitsas@wsj.com