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Finnish FinMin says Greece is on the right path

Xinhua, January 12, 2016 Adjust font size:

Greece is now going in the right direction and new unpleasant surprises are not expected, said Finnish Finance Minister Alexander Stubb here on Monday, Finnish News Agency STT reported.

Stubb's Greek counterpart, Efkleidis Tsakalotos, visited Finland and met with Stubb on Monday. The ministers' discussion focused on the situation in Greece.

In a press conference held after the meeting, Stubb told reporters that it was still too early to say what Finland was ready for in terms of the possible Greek debt relief.

The euro countries have promised to consider the possible debt relief, after the progress of the first assessment of the Greek aid program is made. The assessment is coming up in the beginning of this year.

Tsakalotos said the risk of Greece withdrawing from the euro zone no longer existed. Greece now has a roadmap out of the crisis.

He added confidently that the vicious negative cycle of the Greek economy in the past few years had turned to a positive one.

Finland considers that it is important that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) take part in the third bailout package for Greece.

The Finnish Government and Parliament's position on the IMF's participation in assisting Greece is unambiguously clear, said Stubb.

According to Tsakalotos, representatives of IMF are to travel to Greece to discuss the third bailout package in a few weeks. Endit