'Grexit is off the table,' says Xavier Bettel

(CS) Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel on Monday morning commented that the Grexit scenario is off the table, but only if all parties stick to the agreement reached at the marathon EU summit.

“I'm happy that a solution was found,” Bettel commented speaking to the press on Monday, adding that reaching an agreement had been in the best interest of all parties involved.

Bettel also defended Germany, which over the weekend had repeatedly made negative headlines for its tough stance on Greece. “We should stop staying there was just one country that had problems” with the proposals, the Luxembourg Premier commented.

“No one was going to sign a blank cheque,” the Prime Minister added. “We needed an agenda, we needed to know how it will continue.”

The ball is now in the court of the Greek parliament, Bettel said, explaining that it has a responsibility to help carry the agreement forged by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and his government.

Lawmakers in Greece have three days to get the reform process on the way, which in turn will allow the national parliaments of eurozone member states to begin work on the agreement, Bettel said.

“Grexit is off the table,” Bettel added, but only if what was agreed at the marathon EU summit session, that started on Sunday and continued overnight to Monday, is adhered to.

He also refuted allegations of political extortion to push Greece into an agreement. “An agreement is not unilateral,” Bettel said, commenting that all parties needed to be held to account.

“It's about the future of Greece, the future of the Greek economy, the future of 11 million people,” the PM said, adding that answers were urgently needed. “Some of them were provided today. The Greek parliament needs to deliver the other answers, the other parliaments too. We hope that what we said today will become reality.”