Dimitris Tzanakopoulos

Talks between Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades and Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Athens went extremely well, government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told Cypriot television channel RIK on Thursday, adding that the stance adopted by outgoing US President Barack Obama on the issue during his visit to Athens this week was constructive.

Greece on Wednesday hailed the support expressed by outgoing US President Barack Obama for debt relief for the country even as the latter arrived in Berlin for talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country has consistently resisted restructuring Greece's debt burden.

Data released by the Elstat statistics bureau on Monday indicates that the Greek economy has expanded for the second consecutive quarter, beating forecasts and emerging from a protracted recession for the first time in two years.

Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos played up this week's visit to Athens by outgoing US President Barack Obama on Monday, saying that it was of great significance and that the outgoing leader wanted to end his term "with solutions."

The government on Friday lent its full support to bank bailout fund HFSF in its clash with the National Bank of Greece board, increasing pressure on NBG chief executive Leonidas Fragkiadakis to resign.

Government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos said "a bank cannot ignore the wish of its main shareholder."

Greek officials are hoping to secure a public expression of support for debt relief from outgoing US President Barack Obama when he visits Athens next week, with government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos on Friday underlining the "extremely significant" role of the US in global economic developments.

The Greek coalition government condemned an attack on the French Embassy in Athens on Thursday, labeling the incident an act of terrorism.

The Greek government issued an official statement condemning the attack against the French Embassy in Athens, Thursday morning. Spokesperson Dimitris Tzanakopoulos released the following statement: “The Greek government condemns the attack against the Embassy of the French Republic in Athens and expresses its support to the special unit guard who was injured in the attack.

Attackers on a motorcycle threw an explosive device, possibly a hand grenade, at the French embassy in central Athens early on Thursday, wounding a security guard, police said.

Newly appointed government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos on Tuesday dismissed talk of Greece having to sign a fourth bailout as a New Democracy ploy.

At the same time, conservative leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis appealed to SYRIZA voters on Crete to abandon the party and throw their weight behind the main opposition.