Greece, creditors narrow their differences in bailout talks
BRUSSELS — Greece’s finance minister and international creditors made “substantial progress” Friday in narrowing their differences over the bailout program keeping the Greek economy afloat, amid renewed tensions about the country’s future in the euro.
“We made substantial progress today and are close to common ground for the mission to return to Athens in the coming week,” Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem, who chairs the eurozone finance ministers’ group, said after the talks in Brussels.
Dijsselbloem said all sides have “a clear understanding that a timely finalization of the second (bailout) review is in everybody’s interest.”
He said the 19 eurozone finance ministers will take stock of progress at their next official meeting on Feb. 20. Concluding the review could give Athens access to more bailout funds and pave the way for important discussions about helping Greece ease its debt burden, which currently stands at about 180 per cent of its gross domestic product.