Greece’s new prime minister, Antonis Samaras, whose New Democracy formed a coalition government with two other parties last week, will miss the upcoming European Union summit due to medical reasons.
Samaras underwent eye surgery on Friday and will miss the Thursday and Friday meetings where Greece will try to negotiate terms for the bailout.
“The orders of his doctor are for him not to travel and to stay at home for a few days,” government spokesman Simos Kedikoglou told Reuters.
Incoming Finance Minister Vassilis Rapanos will also miss the summit after he was rushed to the hospital, complaining of nausea, dizziness, and abdominal pains.
Foreign Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos and outgoing Finance Minister George Zanias will represent Greece instead of Samaras during the talks.
Greece’s lenders, the European Union, European Central Bank, and International Monetary Fund, referred to as the “troika,” said they will postpone a meeting with Samaras, which was slated for Monday.
“The ’troika' visit will be put off for a few days, and a final date for their arrival will be decided by Tuesday or Wednesday,” Kedikoglou said, according to the Wall Street Journal.
