Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras will soon travel to Bavaria in southern Germany, a press report said Monday, the source of much of the harshest criticism of his country during the eurozone crisis.

The Munich-based Sueddeutsche Zeitung reported that Bavaria state premier Horst Seehofer had received a request for a visit and that it could possibly take place this year.

Bavarian authorities were not immediately available for comment.

While relations between Greece and European paymaster Germany plunged to new lows during the eurozone crisis, some of the fiercest language came from Bavarian politicians, with several calling for Athens to leave the eurozone.

But Seehofer appeared to soften his tone at a meeting this weekend of the CSU party that governs Bavaria, saying that if a report by international lenders suggested giving Greece more time for reforms “then we will talk about that.”

The question of Greece leaving the 17-nation eurozone “is not an issue” for the moment, Seehofer added.

On October 9, German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Athens for the first time since the three-year crisis began there.

Her trip was marked by sometimes violent protests as many Greeks see her as the driver of EU-led demands for reforms that have propelled the country into recession.

After talks with Samaras, Merkel said that the “tough path” of painful austerity measures would pay off and stressed there would soon be “light at the end of the tunnel.”

She also emphasised that she wanted Greece to remain in the eurozone.