16/06/2017
Eurozone ministers have struck a deal to unlock the latest tranche of Greece's bailout cash.
The bailout fund will disburse €8.5bn to Greece, eurozone ministers said in a statement.
The latest tranche of the international bailout will help avert a fresh debt crisis in July when the next €7bn euro repayment of loans becomes due, the BBC reports. The payment is still subject to parliamentary approvals in some countries.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) director Christine Lagarde said she would propose an approval in principle to her executive board.
The IMF wants clarity on longer-term debt relief for Greece once the current funding scheme, worth up to €86bn, runs out next year.
Lagarde said the IMF was ready to participate to the third bailout programme for Greece after the meeting of eurozone finance ministers in Luxembourg which capped months of negotiations.
However, the IMF could join the programme with a financial support "in the range of $2bn" only after a full deal on additional measures of debt relief for Greece, she said.
The decision by eurozone finance ministers reflects economic policy actions already taken by Greece and the new commitment by the IMF's managing director Christine Lagarde to recommend that her board contribute financially to this bailout.
According to the BBC, an IMF contribution was politically important for Germany, especially to strengthen the perceived credibility of the bailout.
