DHAKA: Thousands of people have rallied in front of parliament in Athens, in support of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who presented new proposals to European leaders on Sunday aimed at ending his country’s debt crisis.

Greece is set to join summit of European leaders in Brussels on Monday to help secure a debt deal with its international creditors, reports the Aljazeera.

In a telephone call with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Tsipras detailed a “mutually beneficial deal”, the Greek prime minister’s office said in a statement.

The country has until the end of the month to repay a $1.8 billion loan or risk leaving the single currency and even the EU.

The Greek government says it’s optimistic, but many Greeks are concerned that the country’s economy is now well beyond its control.

Protesters called to resist pressure from international creditors to accept more austerity in exchange for unlocking billions of euros in bailout funds.

More than 7,000 people took to the streets carrying banners that read “A different Europe with Tsipras” and "You can’t blackmail the people, the country is not for sale”.

BDST: 0911 HRS, JUNE 22, 2015
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