Former Prime Minister Tsipras Asserts Varoufakis Was ‘Inappropriate’ as Greek Treasury Chief Amid Debt Crisis
In a recently unveiled memoir, called Ithaki, the former prime minister Alexis Tsipras does not hold back while he revisits the chaotic period during Greece's debt drama.
An Unconventional Choice
As per the ex-PM's account, he selected the unorthodox economist Varoufakis to be his treasury head mainly due to the latter's global profile along with his highly compelling skills when it came to communicator.
“In reality, he was, actually, more like a personality and less of an economist,” stated Tsipras.
Conflicting Agendas
The former leader alleges how Varoufakis possessed a personal motives that involved advancing his publications and testing out his own theories on Greece rather than truly advocating its economic stability.
He explained how those negotiations to stave off bankruptcy were “not just a method of achieving a better deal for the country. They became a test, a monumental chance to demonstrate the validity of his economic theories.”
High-Stakes Talks
During rollercoaster negotiations, the country came dangerously on the brink of leaving the eurozone.
At stake was not only Greece's future and those harsh cutbacks required in return for rescue loans by international creditors.
Unsuccessful Options
Attempts to find funds elsewhere, including an urgent appeal to Russia to buy Greek government bonds, fell on stony ground.
Helping Greece would be tantamount to tossing cash into the garbage, Putin is reputed to have informed Tsipras during their meeting.
Referendum Followed by U-Turn
In July 2015, those punitive bailout terms were subjected to a public vote, a move that threw Europe into a deeper crisis of identity.
Even though the referendum was carried resoundingly by voters against austerity, the prime minister was forced to ignore the result then negotiate a bailout package with foreign lenders that proved to be more severe.
Breaking Point
The ex-PM claimed that he began to doubt his finance minister relatively soon.
“He was the face of the talks, the man who attracted media attention, who appeared on the covers of publications the world over … he gave the impression he was enjoying the spotlight.”
When the minister outlined a contingency plan involving creating a parallel currency and issuing coupons to pensioners, the leader knew it was game over questioning Varoufakis: “Can you be serious?”
Lasting Rebuke
Within the memoir, the author asserts how Varoufakis had proved himself to be “unfit for a deal demanding complex and sensitive management.”
He further wrote how Varoufakis's confrontational style made him more and more alone among peers, endangered the country, while helped hawks that were pushing for Grexit.
This account of history has provoked fury and stunned disbelief among certain groups, whereas the former minister has so far kept a conspicuous quiet on the matter.
