Markets | Wed May 6, 2015 10:14am EDT

Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis expressed confidence on Wednesday of making progress towards an accord with international creditors, saying a meeting of eurozone finance ministers next week could serve as a "platform" for a deal.

Speaking after a meeting with Italian Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan, Varoufakis said their discussion had given him confidence that an agreement could be reached although his comments appeared to indicate that no immediate deal was likely.

"We had a very fruitful and intense exchange of views on the best ways to make the Eurogroup next Monday a platform to enter into the kind of agreement between Greece and our partners which not only resolves the current negotiations but will lead to a period after June that will allow the Greek economy to recover and grow again," he told reporters.