Stournaras in Brussels for the Eurogroup meeting

The first phase of negotiations between the government and the troika of Greece's international lenders was completed. A new round of negotiations has been scheduled for Wednesday.

"Greece will go to the Eurogroup having solved the issue with the banks," a senior Finance ministry official said.

The same official expressed his optimism that all negotiations with the troika will have been completed by next Sunday, March 16.

Regarding the banks, he said, Saturday's meeting between Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras and IMF representative in the troika of lenders to Greece Poul Tomsen was rather critical as Tomsen was forced to retreat from his initial extreme positions and accept the implementation of equal terms between Greek and other European banks.

Another government official said that the fact that two systemic banks announced they would proceed with a share capital increase also played a key role.