Alexis Tsipras' visit to Moscow gets wide coverage today, with many papers writingagain about the possibility of a Grexit, of Greece leaving the Eurozone.
The Wall Street Journal writes in its editorial that contagion threats of any Grexit are limited now since Greek debt is now held by governments or official creditors who can absorb default-related losses. But there is another contagion threat, the paper says: "Greece's main contagion threat now would be if it is bailed out without reform". The paper says that "accommodating Syriza's agenda now would be a severe blow to a Eurozone that urgently needs more pro-growth reforms". A Grexit could be overcome, the paper says, but "what is not sustainable is allowing euro members to bully their way into deals in which they reap the rewards of a currency union without living by its rules", it concludes.
Forbes magazine wonders if Athens is making a pivot toward Russia and China and away from the EU. The author, Raoul Ruparel finds that the answer, is no:
"The simple reason is that, with economic sanctions and a low oil price, Russia has its own economic problems and cannot afford to aid a country the size of Greece to the level that it requires.”
In France, Le Monde reminds its readers thatGreece is expected to meet a deadline today to repay a roughly 450-million-euro loan instalment to the International Monetary Fund — a debt Athens has insisted it willhonourdespite being severely cash-strapped.Nevertheless, writes Le Monde, "incertitudes linger on concerning future instalments”.
The Financial Times writes that Southern Eurozone countries, Italy, Spain and Portugal are "sanguine" over a possible Grexit. Even more so, he hears from government officials and analysts in these countries that a "chaotic Greek abandonment of the euro would serve as a cautionary shock and probably weaken anti-euro political forces" in the countries concerned. But on the other hand "a Grexit that was carefully managed" leading to economic recovery in Greece, albeit after 5 or 10 years, might strengthen populist parties, so thinks the FT.
Die Welt writes in a front-page editorial on Tsipras' trip to Moscow that the Greek government can no longer hide behind the fact the fact that they are new to the trade as "even politicians are capable of learning". The paper says that the other Eurozone member states should start to question if the Greek government really wants to stay within the Eurozone. The paper thinks it may well be that for PM Tsipras a Grexit could well be a second-best solution, where he could blame the German government with its "Spardiktat" (austerity dictate). EU partners would be well advised to prepare themselves for this scenario, the paper says.
On the Russian side, RussiaToday writes, under the title‘Greek PM’s Moscow visit defies neocolonial EU approach’ that “Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras’ visit to Moscow has turned a new leaf in Russian-Greek relations, in defiance of the EU’s neocolonial approach towards Greece"
http://www.neurope.eu/article/media-tsipras-moscow-star-still-twinkles