Germany wants Greece to stay in the eurozone

stability of the eurozone with such a step,” he told Welt am Sonntag. “It would let a genie out of the bottle that would be hard to control.”

French president Francois Hollande told France’s Inter radio on Monday that Greece had paid a heavy price to stay in the euro and it was “up to the Greeks” to decide whether to now remain a part of the single currency.

Repeating a much-expressed view that the eurozone needs to focus more on growth and less on reducing its deficit, Hollande also said “Europe cannot continue to be identified by austerity.”

In earlier comments to EurActiv Greece, Syriza said it has decisively ruled out the “Grexit” option, according to EU Parliament Vice President and MEP Dimitris Papadimoulis.

Since the announcement of the presidential vote in Greece, several reports in Europe have claimed that international markets would not trust a Syriza government, and that the main opposition party has the socalled “Back to Drachma Plan B”.

Papadimoulis, an influential figure in Syriza that is currently ahead in the polls, attempted to dash these fears, saying that a Syriza government is committed to keeping the country in the eurozone.

“There is absolutely no case for a Grexit. Those who invoke such a possibility play a propaganda game against the Greek and European economy,” he said.

Papadimoulis added that the real danger for Greece is its social disintegration and its transformation into a “debt colony” and for Europe, a new phase of recession, higher unemployment and poverty.

In an attempt to appease international lenders and possible investors’ fears, Papadimoulis made it clear that there is no Syriza party member who speaks in favour of returning to the drachma.

“All our members respect the party’s decisions which are pretty clear... We will seek a solution for Greece within the eurozone,” he stated, blaming a significant part of the Greek press for badmouthing his party’s policies.

Papadimoulis’s main argument for the non-Grexit scenario was based on the fact that Greece is still a systemic danger for the eurozone.