Commission VP Jyrki Katainen calls for more cooperation to address Greek crisis

European Commission (EC) Vice President Jyrki Katainen called for more cooperation between all sides to address the Greek crisis by focusing on growth.

Katainen made these comments when wrapping up a visit here on Friday, while at the same time, another Eurogroup meeting in Riga was ending with no deal on the way forward.

Katainen, who holds the jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness portfolio at the EC, held a round of meetings in the Greek capital with political leaders and representatives of the real economy to discuss the European Union's three-year Juncker plan, worth 300 billion euro (about 325 billion U.S. dollars), to boost development and job creation across the union.

Following talks with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Friday, the European official expressed confidence that "we can work closely to help Greek people find new jobs."

Earlier Katainen had noted that recently European partners' trust in Greece had decreased during negotiations over the terms of future cooperation with its creditors.

The European official expressed hope that problems would be overcome and a solution to the Greek issue would be reached soon.

The three-month deadlock between the two sides over the list of reforms in exchange for further immediate international financial aid to Greece has renewed fear about a possible default and Grexit this spring.

Meanwhile, in Riga, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis told media there that the Greek government was still willing to make "some compromises" to reach an "honest deal," expressing optimism for a positive outcome "quickly". Tsipras also appeared confident after an EU summit in Brussels on Thursday. European officials, such as the head of Eurogroup Jeroen Dijsselbloem, however, appeared more skeptical, stressing the urgency of the situation and noted that Greece was running out of time and money. Endit