Hollande invites Tsipras to Paris in early February

French President François Hollande has invited newly elected Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to visit him in Paris early next month. France is ready to discuss “solutions” to Greece’s debt, officials said, although Hollande on Monday said the country must stick to its commitments.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras with his cabinet Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis

Hollande has sent Tsipras an invitation to meet before the next Council of Europe on 12 February, government spokesperson Stéphane Le Foll announced on Wednesday.

There will be a “global discussion”, which will touch on growth and debt, he said.

France is “ready to discuss, negotiate and engage in a dialogue that will allow solutions to be found” although theirs is no question of cancelling the balance of Greece’s debt.

On Monday Hollande declared that “commitments have been made” and “must be honoured”, pointing out that France had already “participated financially in the efforts called for for Greece”.