Within his freshly published personal account, named Ithaki, the ex- premier Tsipras pulls no punches while he revisits the chaotic era during Greece's debt drama.
An Unconventional Choice
In Tsipras's version, Tsipras chose that unorthodox economist Varoufakis to be the finance minister primarily due to the latter's international reputation along with his “extremely attractive” abilities as a speaker.
“In reality, he was, actually, more of a personality rather than an economic expert,” stated the 51-year-old.
Conflicting Agendas
Tsipras alleges how his finance chief had a personal agenda that involved advancing his publications as well as testing out his own theories on Greece rather than truly fighting for its economic stability.
He wrote that those discussions to prevent bankruptcy became “not just a method of achieving improved terms for the country. They were an experiment, a monumental opportunity to demonstrate the truth of Varoufakis's theories.”
Critical Negotiations
Amid rollercoaster negotiations, the country found itself dangerously on the brink of exiting the eurozone.
At stake lay both the country's destiny and those harsh austerity policies required in exchange for rescue loans by foreign lenders.
Unsuccessful Alternatives
Efforts to secure funds from other sources, such as an urgent plea to the Kremlin to buy Greek government bonds, fell on stony ground.
Assisting Greece would be equivalent to throwing money in the trash-can, Putin reportedly told Tsipras during their meeting.
Public Vote Followed by U-Turn
That summer, the excoriating bailout terms were put to a popular referendum, an action that plunged Europe into deeper existential crisis.
Even though the referendum was carried resoundingly by voters who opposed the cuts, the prime minister was forced to reject its outcome and negotiate a bailout package with foreign lenders that turned out to be tougher.
Breaking Point
The ex-PM revealed that he started questioning his finance minister relatively soon.
“Varoufakis was the face of the talks, the man who attracted media attention, who graced the covers of magazines the world over … it seemed he relished his new role.”
When Varoufakis outlined a contingency plan involving establishing a secondary currency and issuing coupons to pensioners, Tsipras knew that it was the end questioning him: “Is this for real?”
Lasting Rebuke
In the book, the author concludes that Varoufakis demonstrated himself to be “unsuitable for an agreement that required complex and sensitive handling.”
Tsipras further claimed that Varoufakis's aggressive approach left him more and more alone among peers, endangered the country, while assisted hardliners that were advocating Grexit.
This account of history has been met with anger along with shock in some quarters, while Varoufakis has so far kept a conspicuous quiet on the matter.
