Greece's finance ministry says it is on target to achieve a primary budget surplus in 2013, a key target set in the country's bailout agreements.

Deputy Finance Minister Christos Staikouras said Tuesday that the core government's primary surplus — that is, not counting the cost of paying interest on existing debt — was 691 million euros ($956 million).

He said the primary surplus for overall government spending is expected to be 812 million euros ($1.1 billion). The official figure will be released in about one month.

Greece has promised to balance its budget before interest payments to qualify for a major debt relief deal expected later this year.