🔗 Share this article Former Prime Minister Tsipras Claims Yanis Varoufakis Was ‘Unfit’ as Greek Finance Minister During Debt Crisis Within his freshly published personal account, named Ithaki, the former leader Alexis Tsipras spares no criticism while he examines the turbulent period during Greece's economic turmoil. A Controversial Choice According to Tsipras's recollections, Tsipras chose that unorthodox academic Yanis Varoufakis as his treasury head mainly because of the latter's international reputation along with Varoufakis's “extremely attractive” skills when it came to communicator. “He was, truthfully, more of a celebrity rather than an economic expert,” stated Tsipras. Clashing Agendas The former leader alleges how Varoufakis possessed his own agenda that involved promoting Varoufakis's publications and testing out his economic models on Greece rather than truly advocating its financial survival. Tsipras explained that those talks to prevent insolvency were “not just a method of achieving a better deal for Greece. They were a test, a monumental opportunity to demonstrate the truth of Varoufakis's economic theories.” High-Stakes Negotiations During tense discussions, Greece came dangerously on the brink of exiting the single currency area. On the line lay not only Greece's future and the punishing austerity policies demanded in return for rescue loans by international creditors. Unsuccessful Alternatives Efforts to find funds from other sources, such as a desperate appeal to the Kremlin to purchase Greek bonds, went unanswered. Helping Greece was equivalent to tossing cash in the trash-can, the Russian leader is reputed to have told his Greek counterpart in Moscow. Referendum and U-Turn That summer, the punitive conditions were put to a popular referendum, a move which plunged the EU into deeper existential crisis. Although the referendum was won resoundingly by voters who opposed austerity, Tsipras had little option to reject its outcome then agree to a bailout package with foreign lenders which proved to be more severe. Final Straw The ex-PM claimed that he started questioning his finance minister relatively soon. “Varoufakis was the public image of negotiation, the man who attracted publicity, who graced the front pages of publications globally … he gave the impression he relished his new role.” When the minister proposed a backup strategy involving creating a parallel currency and distributing coupons to retirees, the leader knew it was game over questioning Varoufakis: “Can you be serious?” Lasting Rebuke Within the book, the author asserts how Varoufakis had proved himself to be “unfit for a deal that required complex and sensitive handling.” Tsipras also wrote how his aggressive style made him more and more alone among peers, put Greece at risk, while helped hardliners that were pushing for Grexit. This retelling of history has been met with anger along with stunned disbelief in some quarters, whereas the former minister has kept a conspicuous quiet on the matter.