Ex-PM Tsipras States Yanis Varoufakis Proved ‘Unsuitable’ as Greek Finance Minister Amid Financial Meltdown

In a newly released personal account, titled Ithaki, the ex- prime minister Alexis Tsipras spares no criticism while he examines the turbulent period of Greece's economic turmoil.

A Controversial Choice

As per the ex-PM's account, Tsipras selected that unorthodox economist Varoufakis to be the finance minister mainly because of the latter's worldwide fame along with his “extremely attractive” skills when it came to speaker.

“In reality, he was, in reality, more of a star rather than an economic expert,” stated the 51-year-old.

Conflicting Priorities

The former leader alleges how Varoufakis possessed a personal motives which involved advancing Varoufakis's books as well as testing out his own game theories on the nation instead of truly advocating its financial survival.

He explained how those negotiations to prevent bankruptcy became “not just a method of achieving a better deal for Greece. They became a test, an historic opportunity to demonstrate the truth of his ideas.”

High-Stakes Negotiations

During volatile negotiations, the country found itself perilously close to exiting the eurozone.

On the line was both Greece's destiny and the punishing austerity measures demanded in return for rescue loans by foreign lenders.

Unsuccessful Options

Efforts to find funds from other sources, such as a desperate appeal to the Kremlin to purchase Greek government bonds, were rejected.

Helping Greece was equivalent to throwing money in the trash-can, Putin reportedly informed his Greek counterpart during their meeting.

Referendum Followed by Reversal

In July 2015, the excoriating bailout terms were subjected to a public vote, a move which threw Europe into a deeper crisis of identity.

Although the referendum was won decisively by voters against the cuts, Tsipras had little option but to ignore the result and agree to a rescue deal with creditors that turned out to be more severe.

Breaking Point

The ex-PM claimed how he started questioning his finance minister relatively soon.

“He was the public image of negotiation, the man who attracted publicity, who appeared on the front pages of publications the world over … it seemed he was enjoying the spotlight.”

After the minister proposed a backup strategy involving creating a secondary currency as well as distributing vouchers to pensioners, Tsipras knew that it was the end and asked him: “Is this for real?”

Lasting Rebuke

In the book, Tsipras asserts that Varoufakis had proved himself “unsuitable for a deal demanding intricate and sensitive handling.”

Tsipras also claimed how Varoufakis's confrontational style made him more and more alone with colleagues, put Greece at risk, while assisted hawks that were advocating Grexit.

The retelling of history has provoked anger along with shock among certain groups, whereas Varoufakis has so far kept a conspicuous quiet regarding these claims.