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In a statement after his first official meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Greece’s Prime Minister surprised the European and mostly the Greek public. The reason was the change in his positions on a number of issues, with regard to which he had expressed a firm opinion only a few days earlier.

What completely different things did Alexis Tsipras say in Berlin? The list is follows:

- He admitted in public that the programme (i.e. the memorandum of financial aid) had imposed an unprecedented budgetary consolidation, avoiding defining it as "failed" and specifying its negative consequences (unemployment, a breakthrough in social cohesion, etc.).

- He stressed that Greece’s foreign partners were not to blame for its problems as they were its own fault.

- He clarified that the issues of the occupational loan and war reparations were moral and avoided speaking about economic claims against Germany.

- He refuted cabinet members who support the confiscation of German assets in Greece and was firm that "none of this is true." He spoke very positively about the cultural contribution of the Goethe Institute.

- He defined as "unfair" the cover of the latest issue of the magazine Der Spiegel, which represents a photo collage of Angela Merkel in the company of Nazi officers.

After all this, and if, according to all sources, Alexis Tsipras left for Berlin with the intentionof discussing the reform programme of the government, the question is how all wings in SYRIZA will perceive his statements.

According to some opinions, regardless of what he agreed in Germany, Tsipras was seeking those particulars and details that would help him overcome the likely reactions of the left wing before submitting the proposals in parliament.

Other commentators think that the change in rhetoric and the visible change in the intentions of the Greek Prime Minister are a harbinger of greater political shifts. A third group of analysts even believe that the change in the spirit of the statements by Alexis Tsipras has no particular effect on the conduct and statements of Angela Merkel.

The reactions of the main opposition parties are significant. "If we compare what we heard at the press conference with Alexis Tsipras’ letter to Angela Merkel a few days ago (the contents of which were revealed by Britain's Financial Times - author's note) in which he described in a dramatic tone the impasse associated with liquidity in Greece, it is obvious that today's meeting achieved nothing new," said spokesman of New Democracy Costas Karagounis.

His colleague from Potami party Dimitris Tsiodras was sharper with regard to the statements by Tsipras and said, "We had listened to some things in Athens for two months and heard different things in Berlin last night." In all cases, he described "the Prime Minister’s turn to realism" as "positive".

"Noone can be sure that Mr. Tsipras will continue to say the same things after his return to Greece, where he will face the parliamentary majority of SYRIZA and Independent Greeks, which was bred with anti-German rhetoric and conspiracy theories. We still hope that Mr. Tsipras has actually changed once he has realized that his current policy leads to a dead end," added Tsiodras.

PASOK accused Tsipras of attempting to appease the spirits and to enchant Berlin at the cost of excessive concessions on historical issues, for which he had achieved "no practical result."

"In his statements about the essence of the Greek problem, Ms Merkel said once again that this issue falls within the competence of the institutions (i.e. the supervisory Troika) and the council of euro zone finance ministers. She pointed out that potential granting of cash instalments would be possible only after the implementation of the agreement of 20 February and the commitment of the government to carry out a comprehensive and specific reform programme that is accurate in terms of figures as well," reads the party statement.

The message of President of the European Central Bank Mario Draghi was in the same vein. He stressed that the institution "does not create new rules for Greece." During the hearing in the European Parliament Draghi said once again that the ECB would again start to accept Greek government bonds as collateral for providing liquidity to Greek banks only when the preconditions for the successful completion of the monitoring of the implementation of the current bailout programme were secured.

For his part, European Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas was also clear that it would be impossible to grant cash tranches before the mission of the institutions’ representatives regarding the implementation of previous rescue programme was completed. He said, "Strong political will is not enough at this point. The time of statements is over, now is the time of work."