Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday his country was set for strong economic growth and this would help to "heal the wounds of crisis" after years of austerity imposed under international bailouts.

With up to 70,000 refugees expected to become stranded on Greece's northern border in the coming days, German chancellor Angela Merkel warned that the recently bailed-out Athens government could become paralysed by the huge numbers of arrivals from war-torn areas of the Middle East and Africa.

Greece will fully respect fully its commitments both concerning its economic adjustment program and the refugee crisis, but then the country’s partners must keep their promise and discuss debt relief, Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos said on Monday after a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.