Piraeus Privatization To Be Completed In Coming Weeks

The Deputy Prime Minister who is currently in China sought to put an end to uncertainty regarding the port privatization that other SYRIZA ministers had caused.

The tender process for the privatization of the Piraeus Port Authority (OLP) will completed ‘within weeks’ according to the Deputy Prime Minister Yiannis Dragasakis, who spoke about the matter in Beijing where he has been meeting with Chinese government officials, Kathimerini newspaper reports.

Dragasakis added that Cosco, which is among the bidders for OLP and widely considered to be the favourite, “may submit a very competitive offer.”

Speaking to the Chinese news agency Xinhua, Dragasakis attributed delays in the sale of 67.7% of the shares in OLP to changes that were implemented at the Hellenic Asset Development Fund (TAIPED) following the January 25 elections.

Shortly after the elections several SYRIZA MPs had announced that all privatizations were to be halted specifically including the sale of OLP, provoking intense dismay from the Chinese government. However the government subsequently backtracked, confirming that the sale was to go ahead. Dragasakis’s trip to China and his comments regarding the sale of the port are being seen as an attempt to put draw a line under the conflicting messages and end the uncertainty regarding the future of the port privatization.

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