MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Alexei Pushkov, head of the foreign affairs committee of the lower house of Russia's parliament, told RIA Novosti that the international creditors’ harsh demands had been countered by the Greek population’s stance.
"Tsipras’ position became stronger because it is supported by nearly two-thirds of the Greek electorate over a specific issue," Pushkov said.
On Sunday, over 61 percent of the Greek electorate said "No" in a referendum on the latest bailout proposals from Greece's main international lenders, after the previous deal had expired last Tuesday.
The Russian lawmaker added that Tsipras intended to send the country’s lenders a signal that they were negotiating "not only with him, but with a majority of Greeks."
"Now he will enter negotiations not only citing the position of his government, but the position of the obvious majority of its people," Pusnkov concluded.
An emergency Eurogroup summit on Greece is expected to take place on Tuesday.
In its recent analysis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), one of Athens' key lenders, declared Greece’s $350-billion debt unsustainable.
