Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou stressed that Greece will not sell any of its islands to reduce the country’s debt, according to Reuters. “Anything like that is ruled out,” Papandreou told German newspaper Bild, when asked about selling islands.
“You΄ve simply got to understand how important these islands are for Greece and Greek history. We΄ve spent enormous sums in defense budgets to secure the islands near the Turkish coast.”
Moreover, the Greek Prime Minister stated that “the islands are our cultural heritage, and they΄re also cherished by German tourists. If we were to sell our islands to a few super-rich people, they΄d be closed off for everyone after that”.
“We want to develop this unique natural landscape carefully and ecologically, that will bring far more,” he said.
Papandreou said he understood why Germans were unhappy about Eurozone rescue packages and thanked Germans for their part in the rescues.
He reiterated that Greece had received loans, not handouts. “These are loans and we΄re paying interest on them, they΄re not gifts,” Papandreou said.
“We didn΄t want the loans so that we would leave everything the way it was — but rather to win time for necessary changes”. Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou stressed that Greece will not sell any of its islands to reduce the country’s debt, according to Reuters.
