ATHENS – Greece on Wednesday insisted a new euro 130 billion ($172 billion) bailout deal will “bind” it to the euro, but again lowered expectations of recovery as it faced skeptical world markets, continued protests and another downgrade of its debt deeper into junk status.

As the government scrambled to push new austerity measures, Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said the new rescue package approved by eurozone countries would shield Greece from default.

“The agreement is of historic importance, because it binds Greece to the euro,” Venizelos told private Mega television. … This also comes with a European commitment … of support for as long as is necessary for Greece to return to the markets.”

He added: “This is a decisive and irreversible action by our partners: Greece is a member of the euro and will remain a member of the euro and there is no issue of bankruptcy, no issue of the country’s financial collapse.”

Earlier, about 6,000 protesters chanting “EU out, IMF out!” marched through central Athens in a peaceful rally against the new austerity measures.

On Tuesday, eurozone countries approved the new bailout deal, and a euro 107 billion ($141 billion) debt writedown by banks and other private holders of Greek bonds.

In response, Fitch downgraded Greece’s credit rating further into junk status Wednesday, from “CCC” to “C” — one notch above default. And world markets appeared nervous at the prospects of forcing through new austerity measures in a country stuck in recession for a fifth year and with unemployment topping 20 percent.

Shares on the Athens Stock Exchange fell 5.67 percent, to 751.96, as banks sustained heavy losses.

New austerity measures include slashing pensions and benefits, and cutting the minimum wage from euro 751 to euro 580 per month, defying pleas from unions and employers who warn that the recession will deepen dramatically.

In Parliament, lawmakers are preparing to debate emergency legislation that revises the 2012 budget and outlines additional budget cuts worth euro 3.2 billion ($4.2 billion).

Under the revision, the budget deficit target was increased to 6.7 percent of gross domestic product, from an initial forecast of 5.4 percent. Even worse, plans for a modest primary surplus in 2012 — which excludes debt servicing costs — have been scrapped and Greece is expected to instead post a primary deficit of nearly euro 500 million ($661 million), or 0.2 percent of GDP.