Greece can leave euro bloc, but must respect commitments: French president

France's President Francois Hollande on Monday said Greek is free to exit from the single-currency bloc but the debt-ridden country has to respect its commitments.

"The Greeks are free to choose their own destiny. But, having said that, there are certain engagements that have been made and all those must be of course respected," Hollande noted.

Hollande's comments came amid fresh political turmoil in Greece ahead of an election scheduled for January 25 that could hand power to far-left party.

In remarks published by Der Spiegel weekly magazine, German government considered "almost inevitable" the exit of Greece from the euro zone if the radical leftists would take power.

In an interview with France Inter radio this morning, the French head of state also reiterated the need to focus on promoting growth to reach healthy public finances.

"Europe cannot continue to be identified by austerity. Europe must be our shield," Hollande stressed. Enditem