Wolfgang Schauble advised Athens to avoid the “barber’s chair” in deliberations about its ballooning debt.

The powerful German FinMin, in fact, said, “If I were a responsible Greek politician I wouldn’t’ initiate any haircut debates.”

“Thanks to reforms, the Greek debt will be reduced to 112 percent by 2020, so anyone aware of the structure of the Greek debt would also know that there will be no problem until 2020 … I see no reason to even get into speculation about a haircut,” the “Iron Minister” said.

In a bid to soften his tone, Schauble nevertheless said “Germany does not dictate the rules for Greece”.

His statements were carried in the German newspaper Die Welt.