Greece does not want more international financial aid, Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras said Wednesday, striking an upbeat tone as their country marked the start of its six-month turn at the EU presidency.
Athens “ideally” will not need new bailout loans and does not plan to request a new writedown on Greek debt — popularly known as haircut — Stournaras told visiting journalists. But it would like debt relief such as lower interest rates and longer loan maturities.
“No other country in peacetime has achieved what Greece has achieved in the last years ... It is irrational for anybody to ask more from Greece,” he said, noting that the country hopes to re-establish “limited access” to the financial markets this year.