Controversial Swiss national councillor Pierre Rusconi, a member of the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), suggested that Greece should sell one of its islands to Switzerland to make up for its debt. He aired his proposal on Forum, a program broadcast on RTS.
“Like France, which owns territories abroad, Switzerland could have one in Greece,” said the lawmaker, who is eyeing one of 300 islands that Greece could put up for sale as recompense for the money “Switzerland will probably never see again.”
Rusconi says the acquisition would be a financial incentive for the country that could build a maritime sports center to prepare athletes, or a hotel complex.
The proposal comes just after the EU forced the Greek government to create a 50-billion-euro fund of Greek assets whose sale proceeds will be used to jumpstart the economy and recapitalize banks. The Swiss councillor feels that chunks of maritime Greece should be given to its creditors.
As with similar instances of “island speculation”, he wasn’t asked if he was referring to a … change in sovereignty — like a country’s embassy — or a traditional real estate purchase, like a building owned by a foreign government, such as the Goethe-Institut in central Athens.
