German Finance Minister Schaeuble: We seek Greece’s return to the markets




German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble in an interview with “Ta Nea” newspaper on Saturday said that he will be glad when Greece returns to the markets and is not dependent on additional financial aid.

As he said, this must be achieved by the middle of the next year. He estimated that the Greek debt is not a problem right now because Greece does not pay interest for long periods and has low interest rates. In the future, however, the debt may be a problem for Greece and this is when it must be discussed.

“We will try to make the return to the markets feasible and when the Greek economy is not longer dependent on economic aid, we will see whether further steps are needed,” he stated.

Schaeuble said that he has sympathy for the Greek people because it bears great burdens, but the solution to the problems lies within the improvement of the conditions in the country. He also stated that it is not right to blame the others for what Greece is experiencing.

Asked whether the situation in Greece can be compared to the situation in Germany in 1953, Schaeuble said: The situation in Greece, fortunately, is not comparable to Germany after World War II. Greece receives ESM assistance with the same terms like all the other countries. All these countries succeeded in returning to the markets after a programme. Greece is now running the third programme.”
Moreover, the German Finance Minister clarified that the third programme is the last one with the participation of the IMF.

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