There is an investment-friendly environment in Greece, Minister of National Economy and Finance Kostis Hatzidakis said in an interview with the Japanese agency KYODO, inviting investors from Japan to come to Greece.
The Japanese Rating and Investment Information (R&I) rating agency was the first to give Greece an investment grade, signalling investors to invest in the country, the minister recalled. “We are far apart on the map, but experience has shown that we can cooperate well for the benefit of both peoples,” he added.
Hatzidakis referred to the policies implemented by the Greek government to create an increasingly friendly environment for investments. “We proceeded to reduce taxation and social insurance contributions, as far as possible, and took initiatives to reduce bureaucracy,” he noted. He also mentioned the shipping, logistics and tourism sectors, in which Greece has a comparative advantage for investments.
“We have results that are more than satisfactory in terms of investments”, noted the minister and recalled the presence of large US investments in the country after decades, such as those of Microsoft, Pfizer, Amazon, Google and Cisco. “Therefore, we also invite Japanese companies to come to Greece,” Hatzidakis noted.
In addition, the Minister of National Economy and Finance referred to the political stability of the country, the important steps forward made by the Greek economy and underlined that the government insists on the direction of fiscal seriousness. “Our policy is harmonised with the policies of the European Union, but also with the ‘lessons’ we learned in the last decade and the many years of economic crisis,” he said.
SOURCE; ANA-MPA
