Greek Finance Minister Yannis Stournaras told BBC that he was 100 per cent sure that 2013 will be the last year of recession for Greece. In fact, the recovery will begin in the last quarter of the year, he said.

Stournaras added that the probability that Greece will exit the euro is "very small".

"We have managed to turn the economy around. From the markets, there's much more optimism. Deposits are coming back to banks, the government is paying its arrears to the private sector and there is a change in how Europe sees us. So all the leading indicators are positive. We are two-thirds of the way towards our target. So people can have hope," Stournaras said.

When asked about a possible British exit from the European Union, Stournaras said it would be a "grave mistake."

"Britain belongs to Europe politically, financially and from a cultural point of view," he said.

SC

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