Greece targets trial return to markets in 2017, full return in 2018 - Deputy PM

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras (R) and Deputy Prime Minister Yannis Dragasakis attend the meeting of the cabinet in the parliament building in Athens, Greece, May 10, 2016. REUTERS/Michalis Karagiannis

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece aims to make a trial return to capital markets in the first half of 2017, which will pave the way for a full market return in 2018 when its programme ends, Deputy Prime Minister Yannis Dragasakis said on Saturday.

In an article published in newspaper Efimerida ton Syntakton, Dragasakis urged Greece's official lenders to make a positive assessment of the country's bailout progress at a meeting of euro zone finance ministers on Monday and send a "message of hope to the Greek people and Europe as a whole".