Ruling New Democracy party in Greece immediately responded and condemned suggestions expressed by main opposition SYRIZA representatives, who suggested that the country should renegotiate several privatization deals signed with foreign investors. Among the projects that SYRIZA intents to renegotiate if elected, according to SYRIZA MP Theodoros Dritsas, is the one concerning the cargo terminals of Piraeus, Greece’s main port and one of the major ports in Southeast Mediterranean.
“SYRIZA is planting a bomb against investments,” New Democracy spokeswoman Maria Spyraki said in response to Dritsas’ comments, who was first elected with SYRIZA in the 2007 general elections in Piraeus’ First electoral constituency and has been again nominated by the opposition party in the same city for the upcoming elections. According to Spyraki, SYRIZA “does not recognize the Cosco agreement in Piraeus.”
On his behalf, Dritsas, in an interview with “Alpha 98.9” radio earlier today, suggested that if SYRIZA wins the elections and forms a government, it would re-examine the major privatization deals, while he specifically referred to the concession of part of Piraeus’ port to Chinese shipping giant Cosco, arguing that “public control” of the country’s ports is a necessity for rebuilding Greece’s productivity. Furthermore, the deal signed with the Chinese company “helps its profitability but does not contribute any added value to the Greek production process,” Dritsas concluded.
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