German deputy: Greece will stay in the Eurozone
GERMANY wants Greece to stay in the Eurozone, Angela Merkel’s deputy has said.
Vice chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said the Eurozone has become more resilient and countered claims that Berlin believes the currency union could survive without Greece as a member.
“The goal of the German government, the European Union and even the government in Athens itself is to keep Greece in the Eurozone,” Gabriel told German publication the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, in an interview which will be printed today.
“There were no and there are no other plans to the contrary. That’s why we can’t be blackmailed and why we expect the Greek government, no matter who leads it, to abide by the agreements made with the EU,” he added.
The comments follow a report in Der Spiegel, suggesting that the government in Berlin believes a Greek exit would not unseat the Eurozone, following reforms implemented after the financial crisis. Greece is teetering on the edge of massive political change with the left-wing Syriza party, which wants to end austerity measures, ahead in current polls.