LISBON: As Greece teeters on the brink of possible default, another bailed-out eurozone nation, Portugal, is showing off its relative economic health seeking to set itself apart from the Greek crisis.
Lisbon has said it intends to pay back this month some two billion euros ($2.2 billion) it owes the International Monetary Fund, which comes after it repaid 6.6 billion euros -- around a quarter of its debt to the global lender -- early.
On the other hand the Greeks have bundled a series of debt payments to the IMF, totalling some 1.6 billion euros, pushing back the deadline to June 30, which has spurred concerns it could be heading toward a messy exit from the eurozone.
Portugal's centre-right government has made no secret of the differences between it and the radical left party Syriza which is leading Greece.
"One just has to compare (Portugal) with another country in Europe unfortunately close to us that instead of making IMF payments early is postponing them," Finance Minister Maria Luis Albuquerque said recently.
"The EU rules apply to everyone. The Greeks have to agree to abide by them," she added.
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