Athens refutes German report it will forego repayment if debt deal not reached
The Greek government on Tuesday denied suggestions by German daily Bild that it is considering opting out of a July loan repayment if international creditors do not agree on debt-relief measures.
According to an unnamed sources cited in the report, which was refuted by government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos and Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, the left-led administration is considering foregoing on debt repayments of 6.5 billion euros in July if a meeting of eurozone finance ministers on June 15 fails to lead to an agreement on debt relief.
“It is not true,” government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos told Reuters when asked about the report on Tuesday. “There will be a solution on June 15.”
“Bild is distorting the statement I made yesterday,” Tsakalotos said. “I never said that we would not meet the July debt repayment. There is no such question.”
On Monday, Tsakalotos told a press briefing that Greece cannot “accept a deal which is not what was on the table.”
“What was on the table was if Greece carried outs its reform package then creditors would ensure that there would be a clear runway through clarity for debt,” he said.
