Main opposition New Democracy (ND) leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasized his pro-market and pro-reform credentials on Tuesday by touring a site that, on paper at least, is one of the biggest property development projects in Europe, yet is bedeviled by layers of bureaucratic red tape, legal challenges and, initially, a tepid disposition by the current leftist government.
Mitsotakis paid a visit to the Helleniko site, where the old Athens airport and assorted other facilities once stood in coastal southeast Athens, accompanied by cameras. Speaking with the concrete tarmac in the background and now decaying venues that once hosted competitions for the Athens 2004 Olympics, Mitsotakis promised that, if his ND party wins the next election, pushing through with the seven-billion-euro investment will be a priority for his government.
"The site of the old airport symbolizes the absolute growth failure of the SYRIZA government. Tens of thousands of our fellow citizens should have been working here today... in order for this site to become an emblematic development project that symbolizes the new Greece that is coming," he said.
