(http://yle.fi/ecepic/archive/00434/16_Jyrki_Katainen_v_434366b.jpg)
Finland will continue to demand collateral for new loans to Greece, according to Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen. Earlier this week the Austrian finance minister had said that the terms for such guarantees would be so disadvantageous that only Finland would continue to demand them.
Katainen said that he expects the issue to be resolved soon.
"I'm not sure if it's today, but I am optimistic that we would find the solution which would be suitable for all euro area countries," Katainen told Reuters during a visit to Riga.
Austrian Finance Minister Maria Fekter said this week that euro zone countries were planning to make collateral so expensive that only Finland would feel the need to make use of it. Katainen said that he was sure that Finland would be able to take part in the bailout despite such conditions.
"I am sure that we would find a way... to organize it. It must be suitable for everybody."
Katainen is in Latvia to attend a conference on international politics and security policy. The conference will cover EU and NATO finances and security, as well as the situation in the Middle East and North Africa.
YLE