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Within his newly released autobiography, called Ithaki, the ex- premier Alexis Tsipras does not hold back while he examines the chaotic era during Greece's financial crisis.

A Controversial Choice

As per the ex-PM's recollections, he selected the maverick academic Yanis Varoufakis to be his finance minister mainly due to his global profile and his highly compelling skills when it came to communicator.

“In reality, he was, actually, more like a personality rather than an economic expert,” stated the 51-year-old.

Clashing Priorities

Tsipras claims that Varoufakis possessed his own motives which involved promoting Varoufakis's publications as well as experimenting with his own economic models using Greece rather than genuinely fighting for its economic stability.

Tsipras noted that the talks to avoid insolvency were “not only a way of achieving improved terms for the country. They were an experiment, a monumental opportunity to demonstrate the truth of his theories.”

Critical Negotiations

Amid tense discussions, Greece found itself perilously on the brink of exiting the single currency area.

At stake was both Greece's future and the harsh austerity measures demanded in exchange for rescue loans from foreign lenders.

Failed Alternatives

Efforts to secure financing from other sources, such as an urgent appeal to the Kremlin to buy Greek government bonds, were rejected.

Helping Greece would be equivalent to throwing money into the garbage, the Russian leader is reputed to have told his Greek counterpart in Moscow.

Referendum Followed by U-Turn

In July 2015, those punitive bailout terms were put to a public vote, a move which plunged the EU into further existential crisis.

Although the vote was carried resoundingly by those against austerity, the prime minister had little option to reject its outcome and agree to a rescue deal from foreign lenders which proved to be more severe.

Final Straw

Tsipras revealed that he started questioning his finance minister quite early on.

“He was the face of negotiation, the figure who attracted publicity, who graced the covers of magazines the world over … he gave the impression he relished the spotlight.”

After Varoufakis proposed a backup strategy involving establishing a parallel currency and issuing vouchers to retirees, the leader knew that it was game over and asked him: “Can you be serious?”

Lasting Criticism

Within the book, Tsipras asserts that his former ally demonstrated himself “unfit for an agreement demanding complex and delicate handling.”

He further wrote how Varoufakis's aggressive style made him increasingly isolated among peers, put Greece at risk, while helped hawks that were advocating Grexit.

The account of history has provoked fury and shock among certain groups, while Varoufakis has so far kept a deafening silence on the matter.