The leftist government that assumed power in Athens on Tuesday will reportedly stop the sale of a majority stake in the port of Piraeus, the largest in the country, according to a Reuters dispatch from the Greek capital.
“We will not sell a majority stake at the Piraeus port,” was the comment made by Thodoris Dritsas to Reuters. Dritsas, who holds the shipping portfolio and is SYRIZA’s usual candidate for mayor in the Piraeus municipality, made the comment shortly after he was sworn in.
Moreover, he added that a previous high-profile deal awarding the container terminal to Chinese multinational Cosco will also be “reviewed, to the benefit of the Greek people.”
Cosco was shortlisted along with another four consortia to purchase a two-thirds stake of the Piraeus Port Authority (OLP). An international tender to sell-off the port share was begun by the previous government, as part of a troika-mandated privatization scheme to fill the Greek government’s coffers and boost competitiveness in the country.