German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (not pictured) hold a joint news conference at the Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, January 10, 2019. REUTERS/Costas Baltas

ATHENS (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday she expected Greece would be able to return to financial markets after it emerged from a multi-billion euro bailout program last year.

“Yes of course, my visit, all my work, has this as its purpose, that Greece can stand on its own feet, and get financing from the markets,” Merkel told journalists after a meeting with Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras in Athens, in response to a question from a journalist.

Greece expects to raise 5-7 billion euros from bond markets this year, returning as a regular borrower after a financial crisis largely shut the country out f those systems in 2010.