Greek withdrawal from the eurozone

French President Emmanuel Macron is sending a message of optimism to Greece, only hours before he lands in Athens on an official visit, in an interview to newspaper “Kathimerini”. “I am aware of the efforts made by the Greeks, I know the feeling of injustice they may have felt. But I am optimistic about the future of Greece.

Greece is in a "much better position" today than it was a year ago, Chancellor Angela Merkel said during a traditional summer news conference on Tuesday in which she appeared upbeat about the prospects of eurozone economies.

Politico has listed Greece's left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras among Europe's six "die hard fans" of Venezuela's socialist President Nicolas Maduro whose regime is accused of locking up opposition leaders and violating human rights.

Can we become a normal country? On paper, it appears the practical answer to this would be yes, of course we can. Greece does not have very pressing financial obligations between now and 2019. Grexit has been consigned to the closet of history.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said he "fought hard" in 2015 to prevent a Greek exit from the bloc's common currency area out of fear it could unravel the euro, Ekathimerini writes.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said he "fought hard" in 2015 to prevent a Greek exit from the bloc's common currency area out of fear it could unravel the euro.

Greece is seeing "the light at the end of austerity", the EU's economy commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on July 24, calling the reforms imposed on Athens by its creditors perhaps "too tough" but "necessary."

Former energy minister Panayotis Lafazanis, who left SYRIZA in the summer of 2015 to set up a new leftist, pro-drachma party, said on Saturday that when he was in government he agreed with Moscow that Russia would make a downpayment for a gas pipeline so the money could be used to finance Greece if it left the euro.

Bolstered by its third bailout programme and positive reports from the European Union, Greece is planning an imminent test of the bond market, local media said this weekend.

Greece is eyeing “the current positive trend” in the market, where liquidity levels are high and there is a taste for risk-taking, the conservative Kathimerini newspaper said.

Greece is expected to return to the bond markets in 2018, but having secured its third bailout program Athens may test the waters by issuing a new bond as early as July 17.     

Greek newspapers have been speculating that a bond market test could come in "a matter of days."