Greece wants to stay in eurozone: Tsipras

Moscow, April 9 (IANS/EFE) Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Thursday that his country wanted to stay in the eurozone, and expressed optimism about a potential agreement with the European Union (EU) over the bailout package.

"We want a deal with the EU that is beneficial for Europe and for us. The goal of our government is to remain in the eurozone," Tsipras said during a press conference in the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.

The Greek prime minister said that he was optimistic not only about overcoming Greece's economic crisis, but also about bouncing back from the losses it had caused.

Tsipras explained that Moscow and Athens had found a way of remedying the trade difficulties posed by Russia's ban on importing European agriculture products, which was prompted by EU sanctions owing to the Kremlin's position on the Ukrainian crisis.

"We talked yesterday (on Wednesday) about measures to increase Greek exports to Russia. We have found a way to overcome the issues in this regard," Tsipras said.

He reiterated his rejection of the Western sanctions on Moscow, as they, in his opinion, did not help in resolving the Ukrainian conflict.

The two leaders on Wednesday signed a Joint Action Plan for 2015 and 2016, which provides for cooperation in various fields to rebuild bilateral trade.

--IANS/EFE

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