Greek exit from eurozone would be "rather bad thing": Austrian president

Austrian President Heinz Fischer on Thursday warned against a potential Greek exit from the eurozone, during an interview with radio program Oe1 Morgenjournal.

"There is ample evidence to show that this would be a rather bad thing, for all," he said, and thus hopes there will be no collapse for the Greek economy.

He said those suggesting that a Greek withdrawal from the currency union would not be felt domestically in Austria are "voices, of whom I fear their qualification is close to zero."

The President said he remains cautiously optimistic that Greece can still come to agreement with the eurozone over its issues at the last moment.

He added that time will tell whether or not the result of negotiations would mean instant new elections, and whether Greece would recognize it has to make concessions to avoid a eurozone exit.

On June 30, the extension of Greece's second bailout expires. Without a deal by then Athens may not cover a 1.5 billion euro (about 1.7 billion U.S. dollars) loan installment payment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) due by the same day. The country will risk a default and exit from the euro zone. Enditem