Within his freshly published memoir, called Ithaki, the former premier Tsipras pulls no punches while he reflects on that turbulent period of Greece's financial crisis.
An Unconventional Appointment
In the ex-PM's version, he chose that unorthodox academic Yanis Varoufakis as the treasury head mainly due to the latter's international reputation along with his highly compelling abilities when it came to public orator.
“In reality, he was, actually, more like a star and less of an economic expert,” wrote the 51-year-old.
Clashing Agendas
Tsipras suggests how his finance chief had a personal motives that included promoting his books and testing out his own game theories using Greece instead of truly fighting for the country's financial survival.
Tsipras wrote that the talks to avoid insolvency became “not just a way of achieving improved terms for Greece. They became an experiment, an historic opportunity to prove the validity of Varoufakis's ideas.”
Critical Talks
Amid tense discussions, Greece found itself perilously on the brink of exiting the eurozone.
At stake lay not only Greece's future but also those harsh cutbacks demanded in return for financial aid from international creditors.
Unsuccessful Options
Attempts to find funds elsewhere, including a desperate plea to Russia to purchase Greek bonds, fell on stony ground.
Helping Greece would be tantamount to throwing money in the trash-can, the Russian leader is reputed to have told Tsipras in Moscow.
Public Vote Followed by Reversal
In July 2015, the excoriating conditions were subjected to a popular referendum, an action which threw Europe into a further crisis of identity.
Even though the referendum was won resoundingly by those who opposed austerity, Tsipras was forced but to reject its outcome and agree to a bailout package from foreign lenders which proved to be more severe.
Final Straw
Tsipras claimed how he began to doubt his finance minister relatively soon.
“Varoufakis was the public image of negotiation, the figure who drew publicity, who appeared on the covers of publications the world over … he gave the impression he was enjoying the spotlight.”
When the minister outlined a contingency plan that included creating a secondary currency and issuing vouchers to pensioners, the leader knew it was the end questioning him: “Are you serious?”
Lasting Rebuke
Within the book, Tsipras asserts that Varoufakis had proved himself to be “unsuitable for a deal demanding intricate and delicate management.”
Tsipras further wrote how his confrontational style left him more and more alone with colleagues, put Greece at risk, while helped hawks that were advocating Grexit.
The account of history has provoked anger and shock among certain groups, while Varoufakis has kept a conspicuous quiet regarding these claims.
