Greece determined to stay in eurozone, says economy minister

George Stathakis explains why the debt-laden country missed a a300m debt repayment to the IMF

Greece will do everything it can to remain part of the eurozone, a government minister has said, after the debt-laden country missed a a300m (220m) debt repayment to the International Monetary Fund and raised fears about the future of Europe's single currency.

The economy minister, George Stathakis, gave the first official confirmation that Greece could have made the repayment to the Washington-based fund but chose not to do so in the face of demands to overhaul its economy by its lenders, which also include the EU and European Central Bank.

Related: Greece vows not to leave the euro after IMF payment defiance - live updates