Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his German counterpart about Eurozone negotiations with the Greek government; and if he will make a statement.

The UK takes a close interest in this. I discussed the negotiations with Germany’s State Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Steffen Kampeter in London on 11 February. In addition, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne) attended the Ecofin meeting in Brussels on 17 February that discussed Greece’s negotiations.

It is in Britain’s interest to see a stable euro area and is it vital that all parties continue to act responsibly. Her Majesty’s Government welcomes the decision by the Eurogroup on 24 February that the list of Greek reforms are sufficiently comprehensive to be a valid starting point for a successful conclusion of Greece’s review of its bailout programme. The subsequent completion of national procedures in euro area countries allows the current Master Financial Assistance Facility Agreement to be extended by up to four months.