Greece does not intend to sell its islands in the Mediterranean Sea to help reducing its debt because they are vital for Greek tourism and belong to the country’s cultural legacy, said on Thursday Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou.
Answering endless campaign of the German tabloid ‘Bild’, trying to convince the Greek government to sell some of its main islands, the Greek official said in an interview with the German newspaper that the islands are not for sale.
“Anything similar to selling them is excluded”, Papandreou answered the question of selling the islands. He added: “You simply have to understand that the islands are essential to Greece and our history. We have spent heavily in the defence budget to guard the islands close to the coast of Turkey. ”
“Bild” best selling newspaper in Germany has been conducting a campaign for a year to have the Greece selling the islands to lower its debt. Polls show that most Germans oppose that taxpayers’ money would be used to helping heavily indebted countries, including Greece.
Papandreou said that he understood why the Germans are not pleased with the rescue packages extended to states in the euro zone and thanked them for taking part in lending the loans. Also, the Greek premier stressed that Greece has received loans and not gifts. “These are loans and we pay interest on them, they are not gifts”.