Canadian multinational Eldorado Gold on Thursday announced that it temporarily postpone a decision on whether to suspend the bulk of its activities at its northern Greece gold and copper mining concession.
The Vancouver-based company had earlier given the leftist-rightist coalition government in Athens until Sept. 21 (Thursday) to resolve what the former has decried as regulatory and licensing obstacles to its mining activities.
In a report carried by Reuters, Eldorado and its Greek subsidiary, Hellas Gold, said it was entering discussions with the relevant energy and environment ministry over its Kassandra mine operation.
The Hellas Gold operation is the largest foreign industrial investment in the still bailout-dependent country.
In a later Tweet, main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed Eldorado's continued presence in the country's economy, adding "... and I ask: Why was wasted time, the country's international humiliation and pressure necessary in order for the obvious to be done (by the government)?"
Mitsotakis and his center-right party have repeatedly come out in favor of the mining investment, pointing to the need for production to proceed in tandem with the strictest environmental standards.
Sources in Athens on the same day also denied that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had spoke to his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau over the issue.
