Greek defence minister says Greece has Plan B if EU rigid on deal
Reuters
"What we want is a deal. But if there is no deal - hopefully (there
will be) - and if we see that Germany remains rigid and wants to blow
apart Europe, then we have the obligation to go to Plan B. Plan B is to
get funding from another source," he told a Greek television show that
ran into early Tuesday. "It could the United States at best, it could be
Russia, it could be China or other countries," he said.
Kammenos is the leader of Independent Greeks, a nationalist
anti-bailout party that is the junior coalition partner of Prime
Minister Alexis Tsipras' radical left Syriza party.
Greece's
Deputy Foreign Minister Nikos Chountis, who holds the European Affairs
portfolio, told Greek radio that Russia and China had offered Greece
economic support though Athens had not requested it.
"There have
been proposals, offers I would say, from Russia, recently after the
election, for economic support as well as from China, regarding help,
investment possibilities," Chountis said, asked to comment on Kammenos's
remarks, adding: "We have not asked for it."
Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias is due to visit Russia on Wednesday.
Chountis said that while Athens was not excluding alternative sources
of aid, it's first priority was to "exhaust all options" in reaching a
deal with its European partners.
Greece is seeking a new debt
agreement with the euro zone that will allow it to shake off much of the
austerity that has been imposed by a European Union/International
Monetary Fund bailout since 2010.
The euro zone, particularly
Germany, has shown no willingness to ease its requirement that Greece
make deep budget cuts and economic reforms.
"Our primary plan is
to find a solution with our European partners because we are aware of
the commitments and obligations that our presence is Europe and the euro
zone entails," Chountis said.
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