(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The number of Greek expatriates, especially those in the Middle East, is expected to grow due to the current crisis in Greece, a cross-section of Greek nationals in Qatar told Gulf Times yesterday.
"So far, close to 300,000 have immigrated mainly to Europe and the Middle East with the country of preference, being Germany," said Antonios Antonatos, country manager of an engineering company in Qatar. "Now in the Middle East, the large scale development projects attract mostly (Greek) engineers and this is expected to grow."
He lamented the fact that financial difficulties in recent years have caused a brain-drain of Greek society. Antonatos pointed out that the prospects for Greek professionals have fallen over the past five years and a large number of scientists, engineers and professionals from all walks of life have sought their future abroad.
However, he believes that this situation is not overly bad since many Greeks are highly experienced and educated and developing their skills in other countries.
"It only helps sharpen our skills for when the time comes all of us will be happy to return home," he said.
"We expats can bring fresh ideas, ways of conduct and partition from old practices that put us in such difficulty in the first place. So I can't see remittances as a lever for growth but mostly the intellectual power that comes with international experience," the country manager stressed.
He estimates that around 4,000 Greeks live in Qatar now and another 5,000 around the Gulf. He thanked Arabs for welcoming Greeks and offering them a new future.
Antonatos also said there are many things that connect Greeks in their long historic routes. "I am Greek" phrase is always a good way of staring a conversation here. So nothing is challenging during our moving here."
Nikos Sirigonakis, a former Swissport and Qatar Airways ground staff who recently returned home, also echoed the same observation saying that young graduates are trying to find better future abroad.
The high salary (tax-free), peaceful, modern way of life offered by GCC countries attract many Greek professionals to make it as a priority in their "repatriation" list.
"Unfortunately this is something like a disease in my country for the last five years," he said.
Sirigonakis admitted that their income abroad is much higher than their country can offer due to the financial crisis. "This is the main challenge and the reason that we moved to GCC region."
Asked if Greek expatriates' remittances can contribute significantly to their economy, he lamented that many do not send much money back home.
He explained that many Greeks sending "tonnes of money" out of Greece since there is no bank secrecy and confidentiality on their deposits and income taxes are very high.
Sirigonakis described the amount of money that expatriates in many countries bring to Greece is like a drop in the ocean compared with the huge amounts of money that many rich Greek people send out of Greece.
"This fact creates a "black hole" in Greek economy which is becoming bigger and bigger every year," he stressed.
Like his compatriots, mechanical engineer Athanasios Tseremeglis also believes that more Greeks are going to seek jobs in various parts of the world especially in Middle East countries.
"Every single Euro that enters the country has its own significance. But it is far for making any difference at this time," he said.
Tsaganou Sofia, also a Greek expatriate in Doha, told Gulf Times that her government should understand their needs, reiterating the important role of expatriates in helping Greece's economy.
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