European leaders say the door remains open for negotiations with Athens on the Greek debt crisis.
With the Greek debt crisis at the forefront of the minds of many European leaders, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called an emergency meeting with the country’s party and parliamentary floor leaders.
We made it clear today that if the Greek government seeks more talks after the referendum we will, of course, not say 'no' to such negotiations.
Merkel later criticised Athens for not compromising with its euro zone partners despite receiving what she described as a “generous” offer.
However, she added:
“We made it clear today that if the Greek government seeks more talks after the referendum we will, of course, not say ‘no’ to such negotiations.”
French President François Hollande also spoke out and appealed to Greece to give negotiations with its international lenders another shot.
“Greece has made a regrettable choice, because we were very close to reaching an agreement. Greece has also decided to consult its people by way of a referendum. And on this matter I say it’s their sovereign choice – that’s democracy. It’s within the rights of the Greek people to say what they want for the future,” he said.
Their reactions came just hours before the June 30 deadline.
But, perhaps the one person Europe was waiting to hear from seemed to have run out of words. Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis made no comment as he swiftly entered talks in Athens.