ATHENS, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- Greek Statistical Authority ELSTAT announced on Monday that Greece's economy expanded 1.3 percent in the third quarter compared to the same quarter of 2016.
"The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the third quarter of 2017 increased by 0.3 percent in comparison with the second quarter of the year, while in comparison with the third quarter of 2016, it increased by 1.3 percent," said a statement from ELSTAT.
The main driver behind the rise was a 5.0 percent rise in exports compared with the previous quarter. In comparison with the third quarter of 2016, exports increased by 7.8 percent.
The statistics service, in a report, also revised the country's GDP growth upwards in the second quarter to 1.6 percent from 0.8 percent, Greek national news agency AMNA reported.
"Our belief is that the target for 2017, on an annual basis, for growth of 1.6 percent of GPD will be verified," the AMNA quoted government sources as saying.
The Greek government remains upbeat on the course of the debt-laden economy and the exit from seven years of recession.
