The Greek authorities have not yet managed to overcome the protracted financial crisis, despite the assistance provided by the European Union. Faced with an acute shortage of funds, the country's government is trying to find alternative sources of funding.
If a year ago talk about Greece's alleged withdrawal from the euro zone seemed like speculation, now it is being talked about more and more openly. Even Berlin, which made a great contribution to the salvation of the Greeks, is ready to agree with such a scenario. The Germans are not ready to endlessly supply them with money, a group has been created in the German Ministry of Finance to work out the country's actions in the event of Greece leaving the Eurozone.
At the end of August, Greece needs to pay off its already accumulated debts. If the country fails to take out a new loan to pay off old debts, it will be forced to declare a default, in other words, to declare itself bankrupt. Under these conditions, the country's government, headed by Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, took unprecedented measures, announcing its readiness to lease or sell several uninhabited islands belonging to the country.
Greece owns about 6,000 islands, many of which no one lives. The country's government has previously tried to attract investors for their development, hoping in this way to replenish the treasury through the development of the tourism industry, but nothing came of this venture. And now the Greeks decided to go the other way, hoping to sell several islands for good money or lease them for a long time. The country's government sees Russians and Chinese as the main buyers, and wealthy Hollywood celebrities can also buy the islands.
By announcing the country's readiness to sell the islands, the Greek prime minister only supported the idea that had already been put forward by German parliamentarians earlier. In Berlin, it was hinted more than once that in order to get out of the financial crisis, the Greeks may well sacrifice several islands, and not endlessly beg for money from their neighbors in the European Union. By deciding to sell the islands, Antonis Samaras is risking his political future - the inhabitants of the country are unlikely to favor a politician who trades in Greek territory. Realizing this, the Greek Prime Minister specifically makes reservations - according to him, we are talking about the sale of those islands, the loss of which does not threaten the country's national security.
The Greek prime minister's proposal has been announced; it remains to await information on which specific islands will be put up for sale and at what price. The outcome of the Greek authorities' venture will become known in the coming months.
