In a newly released personal account, titled Ithaki, the ex- leader Tsipras spares no criticism while he revisits the chaotic period during Greece's financial crisis.
An Unconventional Choice
As per the ex-PM's recollections, Tsipras selected that unorthodox academic Varoufakis as the finance minister primarily due to the latter's international reputation and his “extremely attractive” abilities when it came to communicator.
“He was, in reality, more of a personality rather than an economist,” stated Tsipras.
Conflicting Agendas
The former leader claims how Varoufakis possessed a personal agenda which included advancing his books and testing out his own game theories using the nation instead of truly fighting for its economic stability.
Tsipras wrote that those negotiations to stave off insolvency were “not only a way to secure improved terms for the country. They were an experiment, an historic chance to prove the truth of his theories.”
High-Stakes Negotiations
Amid tense discussions, the country came perilously on the brink of leaving the eurozone.
On the line lay both the country's future and the severe austerity policies demanded in exchange for bailout funds by foreign lenders.
Failed Alternatives
Attempts to find funds from other sources, including an urgent appeal to the Kremlin to buy Greek bonds, fell on stony ground.
Assisting Greece was tantamount to throwing money into the garbage, the Russian leader reportedly told his Greek counterpart during their meeting.
Referendum Followed by U-Turn
That summer, those punitive bailout terms were subjected to a public vote, an action which plunged the EU into further crisis of identity.
Even though the referendum was carried decisively by voters who opposed the cuts, the prime minister was forced but to reject its outcome and negotiate a bailout package from foreign lenders which turned out to be more severe.
Final Straw
Tsipras revealed that he started questioning his finance minister quite early on.
“He was the public image of negotiation, the man who attracted publicity, who graced the covers of magazines the world over … he gave the impression he relished the spotlight.”
When Varoufakis proposed a backup strategy that included establishing a secondary currency and issuing vouchers to pensioners, Tsipras said he realised that it was game over questioning Varoufakis: “Are you serious?”
Lasting Criticism
In the book, Tsipras asserts that Varoufakis had proved himself to be “unsuitable for an agreement demanding complex and sensitive management.”
He also claimed that his aggressive approach left him more and more alone with colleagues, endangered the country, while helped hawks who were advocating a Greek exit from the euro.
This account of history has provoked anger along with stunned disbelief among certain groups, while Varoufakis has maintained a conspicuous quiet on the matter.
