Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said he aims to detach “the international lifeline that has kept Greece afloat since 2010 by forgoing disbursements of emergency loans scheduled over the next two years,” Bloomberg reports today. “We feel fully comfortable” that Greece can cover its financing needs from the bond markets in the coming years, Samaras said in an interview in Milan yesterday after a European Union summit. “Samaras’ confidence contrasts with fellow euro-area and IMF officials, who insist Greece should retain access to bailout funds next year. The prevailing view among those officials is that Greece’s market access remains fragile, according to two people directly involved in the negotiations,” Bloomberg adds. Ending aid payouts wouldn’t signify “a divorce” with Greece’s public creditors, Samaras insisted in the Milan interview. “We want to do it properly,” he said. Greece is prepared to negotiate an appropriate oversight role of its economy for the euro area and IMF, he added. Greece returned to bond markets in April after a four-year exile. A draft budget submitted to Parliament this week foresees sales of 7-year and 10-year notes in the coming months. The government also anticipates a nearly-balanced budget next year, while the IMF projects that, at the very least, the Greek economy will grow faster than that of most developed nations. Asked how confident he is that Greece can survive without support, Samaras said: “absolutely.”
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