Greek finance minister vows no more deficits, in German paper [Update]
Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis promised in an interview with a German newspaper that his country will “never again” have a budget deficit and tried to reassure Germany that Athens’ new policies did not mean it was turning its back on reform.
“The Germans have to understand that it doesn’t mean we are straying from the reform path if we give a pensioner who lives on 300 euros a month an extra 300 euros a year,” the minister, who is due to visit Berlin on Thursday, told Die Zeit.
“I can promise you Greece will – apart from interest payments – never again present a budget deficit. Never, never, never!” said Varoufakis.
He is scheduled to meet German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Thursday after touring Europe to drum up support for plans to halt the austerity policies prescribed by Berlin.
In the same interview, Varoufakis ruled out that Greece planed to seek aid from Russia.
“That is not up for debate. We will never ask for financial assistance in Moscow.” [Reuters, Kathimerini]
