Baku, May 7 (AZERTAC). Finance ministers from several European countries met Friday amid concerns over Greece and Portugal, as Greek and other European Union officials vehemently denied a German online magazine report that Athens was considering leaving the eurozone.

Greek Finance Minister George Papaconstantinou attended the informal meeting in Luxembourg called by Luxembourg Prime Minister and Eurogroup head Jean-Claude Juncker, the ministry said in Athens.

The talks were held "in the framework of the meeting of eurozone finance ministers who participate in the G-20 and the finance minister was called to participate for an exchange of views regarding the financial developments in Greece," the ministry said in a statement.

"It is absolutely evident that in these talks there was no discussion nor was any issue raised concerning Greece's participation in the eurozone, as various foreign media outlets said irresponsibly and for their own reasons," it said.

Earlier, the ministry categorically rejected the report by Spiegel Online, which said Athens was considering withdrawing from the EU's joint currency. The report, which sent the euro tumbling, added that the eurozone's finance ministers were holding a secret crisis meeting in Luxembourg on Friday night to discuss the issue.

"The report on an imminent Greek exit from the Euro zone, as well as being untrue, has been written with incomprehensible levity despite the fact that this has been repeatedly denied by the Greek government, and the governments of other EU member states," the Finance Ministry said. "Such reports are a provocation, undermine efforts by Greece and the euro and serve speculative games."

A German government official said the Spiegel Online report was "completely unfounded." He confirmed that a small and informal ministerial meeting of a few eurozone members was taking place in Luxembourg, adding that participants were to discuss "a broad array of economic topics," such as the euro and the European Stability Mechanism, the eurozone's future bailout fund that will come into force in 2013, as they have in the past.

The euro began in 1999 for accounting purposes and cash was introduced in 2002. It has grown from the original 11 members to 17 countries, with Estonia the latest to join, on Jan. 1.