Samaras talks with Saudi billionaire focus on banks, tourism properties
Talks between Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed bin Talal Alsaud focussed on the Greek banking sector and state assets up for privatization, sources said.
The two men met at the Maximos Mansion in Athens on Thursday. There were no statements after the meeting but sources said that the Saudi prince, who is ranked 26th on Forbes’s list of billionaires, expressed an interest in the tourism assets that Greece’s privatization fund is to make available to investors.
The 58-year-old billionaire already owns hotel real estate, including the George V in Paris, and stakes in hotel management companies.
Samaras and bin Talal also discussed the state of the Greek banking sector, with Eurobank set to look for a strategic investor later this year.
