Ex-PM Tsipras Claims Yanis Varoufakis Was ‘Unfit’ as Greece's Finance Minister During Financial Meltdown
In a recently unveiled personal account, named Ithaki, the ex- leader Alexis Tsipras does not hold back as he reflects on that chaotic period of Greece's economic turmoil.
A Controversial Appointment
As per Tsipras's version, he selected the unorthodox economist Yanis Varoufakis to be the treasury head largely due to the latter's international reputation along with Varoufakis's very persuasive abilities when it came to speaker.
“In reality, he was, truthfully, more like a star and less of an economic expert,” wrote Tsipras.
Conflicting Priorities
Tsipras alleges how his finance chief possessed a personal motives which involved advancing his books and testing out his own game theories using Greece rather than truly advocating its economic stability.
Tsipras noted how the talks to stave off insolvency became “not just a method of achieving a better deal for the country. They became an experiment, an historic opportunity to prove the validity of his economic theories.”
Critical Negotiations
Amid volatile discussions, Greece found itself perilously close to leaving the single currency area.
On the line was not only the country's future but also those harsh austerity policies demanded in exchange for rescue loans from foreign lenders.
Failed Alternatives
Efforts to find funds from other sources, such as a desperate plea to the Kremlin to purchase Greek bonds, went unanswered.
Assisting the indebted country would be equivalent to tossing cash in the trash-can, Putin reportedly informed his Greek counterpart during their meeting.
Referendum and U-Turn
In July 2015, those harsh conditions were put to a public vote, a move that plunged Europe into deeper crisis of identity.
Even though the referendum was carried resoundingly by voters who opposed the cuts, the prime minister had little option to reject its outcome and negotiate a bailout package from foreign lenders which proved to be tougher.
Breaking Point
The ex-PM claimed that he began to doubt his finance minister quite early on.
“He was the public image of negotiation, the figure who drew media attention, who graced the front pages of magazines the world over … he gave the impression he relished his new role.”
When the minister outlined a contingency plan involving creating a secondary currency as well as issuing coupons to pensioners, the leader said he realised it was game over and asked him: “Are you serious?”
Enduring Rebuke
Within the book, Tsipras asserts how Varoufakis demonstrated himself to be “unfit for an agreement demanding intricate and sensitive handling.”
He also claimed how his confrontational approach left him increasingly isolated with colleagues, put Greece at risk, while assisted hardliners who were pushing for Grexit.
The retelling of history has been met with anger along with stunned disbelief in some quarters, while the former minister has so far kept a conspicuous quiet regarding these claims.
