In a newly released personal account, called Ithaki, the ex- leader Tsipras pulls no punches as he revisits the turbulent period of Greece's debt drama.
An Unconventional Appointment
In the ex-PM's recollections, he selected the unorthodox academic Varoufakis to be the finance minister mainly due to his worldwide fame along with Varoufakis's highly compelling abilities when it came to communicator.
“In reality, he was, truthfully, more of a celebrity rather than an economist,” recalled the 51-year-old.
Conflicting Priorities
Tsipras alleges that his finance chief had a personal motives that involved advancing his publications as well as experimenting with his own theories using the nation instead of truly fighting for the country's economic stability.
He noted that the talks to avoid bankruptcy were “not only a way of achieving a better deal for the country. They became a test, a monumental chance to demonstrate the validity of his ideas.”
Critical Talks
Amid tense negotiations, Greece found itself perilously close to leaving the eurozone.
At stake lay both Greece's future and those severe cutbacks required in exchange for financial aid from foreign lenders.
Unsuccessful Alternatives
Efforts to secure financing from other sources, such as an urgent appeal to the Kremlin to buy Greek bonds, fell on stony ground.
Assisting the indebted country would be equivalent to throwing money into the garbage, the Russian leader is reputed to have told Tsipras during their meeting.
Public Vote and Reversal
That summer, the punitive conditions were put to a popular referendum, an action that plunged the EU into deeper crisis of identity.
Even though the vote was won resoundingly by those against the cuts, the prime minister had little option to ignore the result then negotiate a bailout package from foreign lenders that turned out to be more severe.
Final Straw
The ex-PM claimed how he began to doubt Varoufakis relatively soon.
“He was the face of negotiation, the figure who attracted media attention, who graced the front pages of magazines globally … it seemed he relished his new role.”
When the minister outlined a contingency plan that included establishing a parallel currency as well as distributing coupons to retirees, the leader said he realised that it was the end questioning Varoufakis: “Are you serious?”
Lasting Criticism
Within the book, the author asserts that his former ally had proved himself “unsuitable for an agreement that required intricate and sensitive handling.”
He further claimed that Varoufakis's aggressive style made him increasingly isolated among peers, endangered the country, and helped hardliners who were pushing for Grexit.
This retelling of events has been met with anger and stunned disbelief in some quarters, while the former minister has so far kept a deafening silence on the matter.
