Greek government deputy prime minister Yannis Dragasakis said a "trial" foray into the markets by Greece this year "could" take place, in a carefully worded statement made during a television appearance on Thursday.
Dragasakis, considered as one of Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' close associates, merely added that testing the market waters was a means to an end. "The goal is to exit (creditors') supervision and plan our future."
Greece has been essentially excluded from private sector borrowing for the duration of the ongoing eight-year economic crisis, relying on three consecutive bailouts by institutional creditors, primarily its Euro zone partners.
Queried over last week's Eurogroup agreement, he referred to the product of compromise, and one that was not what Athens had wanted, but also not what German FinMin Wolfgang Schaeuble had wanted.
Finally, he took umbrage with high-profile criticism by ESM Managing Director Klaus Regling, who this week lamented what he called Greek government ministers who "at certain times disagree with measures that have been agreed to, and with specific privatizations."
Dragasakis said it wasn't the ESM chief's job to "evaluate (Greek) ministers".
