🔗 Share this article Former Prime Minister Tsipras Asserts Yanis Varoufakis Was ‘Inappropriate’ as Greece's Finance Minister During Debt Crisis In a freshly published autobiography, titled Ithaki, the ex- premier Alexis Tsipras does not hold back while he reflects on the chaotic period of Greece's debt drama. A Controversial Choice As per Tsipras's recollections, he selected that unorthodox academic Yanis Varoufakis to be his treasury head mainly due to his worldwide fame and his “extremely attractive” skills when it came to speaker. “He was, in reality, more like a personality rather than an economist,” recalled the 51-year-old. Clashing Priorities The former leader claims how Varoufakis possessed his own agenda that included advancing Varoufakis's publications as well as testing out his own economic models on Greece instead of genuinely advocating its economic stability. He explained that those discussions to avoid bankruptcy were “not only a method to secure a better deal for Greece. They became an experiment, an historic chance to demonstrate the truth of Varoufakis's theories.” Critical Negotiations Amid rollercoaster discussions, the country found itself dangerously close to leaving the eurozone. On the line was both the country's destiny and those harsh austerity policies demanded in return for bailout funds from international creditors. Unsuccessful Alternatives Efforts to secure funds elsewhere, including a desperate plea to Russia to buy Greek bonds, went unanswered. Helping the indebted country was equivalent to tossing cash into the garbage, Putin reportedly told Tsipras during their meeting. Referendum and Reversal That summer, those punitive conditions were put to a public vote, a move that threw the EU into a further existential crisis. Although the vote was carried decisively by those against austerity, the prime minister had little option to ignore the result then negotiate a bailout package with creditors which proved to be tougher. Breaking Point The ex-PM revealed that he began to doubt his finance minister relatively soon. “Varoufakis was the public image of the talks, the figure who attracted publicity, who appeared on the covers of magazines the world over … it seemed he was enjoying the spotlight.” After the minister proposed a contingency plan involving creating a parallel currency and distributing vouchers to pensioners, the leader knew it was game over and asked him: “Is this for real?” Enduring Rebuke Within the memoir, the author concludes how Varoufakis demonstrated himself to be “unsuitable for a deal demanding complex and sensitive handling.” Tsipras further wrote that Varoufakis's aggressive approach left him more and more alone with colleagues, put Greece at risk, while assisted hawks that were pushing for a Greek exit from the euro. The account of events has provoked fury and shock among certain groups, whereas Varoufakis has kept a deafening silence regarding these claims.