Fri, 17 Jul, 2015 12:07:01 AM FTimes – STT Report, July 17 Finance Minister Alexander Stubb and Prime Minister Juha Sipilä arrived at the parliamentary Grand committee meeting in Helsinki on 16 July 2015. Photo – Lehtikuva. Finland on Thursday approved a bridging loan to Greece entailing a temporary emergency loan.
The country is also ready to begin negotiations on a possible third rescue package for Greece.
The Greek parliament on Wednesday night voted in support of austerity measures as a condition for launching a new loan programme.
“We have outlined that in the government programme. The third rescue package must be achieved within the framework of the EU bailout fund capital,” Prime Minister JuhaSipilä told news agency STT.
Sipilä, however, emphasised that Finland is not ready to lend debt relief to Greece.
“The Greek prime minister said, among other things, that he will commit to the loan programme, but I do not believe in that,” remarked Sipilä.
Chairman of the Finns party, Timo Soini, also Minister of Foreign Affairs at a press conference after the meeting of the Grand Committee on Thursday, July 17, 2015. Photo – Lehtikuva. According to Sipilä, now is the time to focus on ensuring that Greece does not accumulate any further debt.The premier also said Finland’s responsibility towards Greece shall no longer grow. The prime minister remained sceptical about Greek commitment on the terms and conditions of the loan programme. Finance Minister Alexander Stubb in an official press release from the government said the decision to start negotiations does not necessarily mean Greece would be granted financial assistance from the European Stability Mechanism. The Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party) also accepted the Finnish-Greek stance despite the party’s long standing criticism of the support lent to Greece. Foreign Affairs Minister TimoSoini, who is also the chair of the Finns Party, said the party would have been opposed to the stance, but it would not have been of any help. Soini said the errors were made in the past and the crisis fund already exists. According to Soini, Finland’s responsibility toward Greece is not growing, but, on the other hand, the risks will increase significantly. More News
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