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Who's who in the Greek debt crisis?
Greece has dominated news headlines for several weeks now as the country continues to navigate a critical debt crisis. The issue itself extends beyond Greek borders and includes players from several other European and international bodies.
A lot of names have been mentioned, but who exactly are these players and what stake does each hold with regards to the Greek crisis? CNBC has compiled a list of who's who in Greece's story-the names you need to know.
Read More Greece will go ahead with referendum
Tsipras is perhaps the name most mentioned in this story, after all he leads the Greek Parliament and has been the chief negotiator on behalf of the country since the beginning of this year. The young political leader, at 40 years old, has lead the Syriza party since 2008 and was elected to Parliament in 2009. Tsipras has stood adamantly against austerity measures in his country, which is partly why negotiations have dragged on for so long with creditors. He took an unexpected turn last week when he announced a national referendum on July 5. Rumors are that if the Greek people vote yes to more spending cuts, he will resign from his position.
As head of the strongest nation, economically, in the euro zone, Angela Merkel is the chief negotiator on the side of the creditors. No decision will get an OK without her approval. Germany has continued to dismiss proposals by Greece to help ease debt obligations that do not include serious spending cuts. This week she said that any further talks will have no value until Sunday's referendum.
Christine Lagarde has been head of the global financial organization since 2011. On Wednesday, Greece officially defaulted on its $1.8 billion payment to the IMF. Earlier this week she said, "I continue to believe that a balanced approach is required to help restore economic stability and growth in Greece, with appropriate structural and fiscal reforms supported by appropriate financing and debt sustainability measures. The IMF is prepared to continue to pursue that approach with the Greek authorities and our European partners." The Greece crisis will define her tenure as head of the IMF.
The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union. Sunday's referendum could potentially lead to a Greek exit from the euro zone. On Monday, Juncker made a new offer to Greece. Under that proposal, Tsipras would need to accept the creditors' proposal that was on the table last weekend. He would also have to change his position on Sunday's referendum. Tsipras on Wednesday reaffirmed his commitment to the vote.
On Monday, a Greek presidency source told Reuters that Euclid Tsakalotos would be sworn in as the country's new finance minister. The news came the same day that fiery finance minister, Yanis Varoufakis, announced that he was a "minister no more," a day after Greeks backed his "no" campaign and rejected creditors' reform proposals.
Tsakalotos is not new to the Greek story. He has led the country's negotiating team with creditors and is seen as less confrontational than his predecessor. He is a left-leaning economist who was educated at Oxford.
Read More Yanis Varoufakis' best quotes
The Dutch politician, who is also president of the Eurogroup, said on Wednesday that the euro zone's finance ministers will discuss a proposal sent by Athens, but he sees "little chance" of progress after comments by Tsipras.
Less than 24 hours after Tsipras told creditors in a letter he would accept their bailout offer if some conditions were changed, he said in a public address that Greece was being "blackmailed."
"We will talk about the proposals, but with that last speech I see little prospect of progress," Dijsselbloem told journalists.
Schäuble has held a tough line regarding Greece. In a news conference on Wednesday he said that Greece's left-wing government had to provide more clarity on its demands before negotiations about further financial aid could resume. The letter sent Tuesday hadn't done that, he said.
"This is no basis for serious" negotiations, said Schäuble during a news conference on the government's 2016 budget. "First of all, Greece has to declare what it wants."
Greece owes a total of $270 billion to several entities, including the ECB. The central bank has been keeping Greek banks alive through Emergency Liquidity Assistance. But now the question is whether the bank should continue to offer help after Greece missed its IMF payment.
Read More The trump card the ECB could use on Greece
-Reuters and The AP contributed to this report.
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